Super Rugby Pacific final: Key factors that may shape the showdown

On the left, Richie Mo’unga will be running the show for the Crusaders while Damian McKenzie will be looking to do the same for the Chiefs.
Photo: Photosport

Opinion – The Chiefs and Crusaders go into battle on Saturday night at FMG Stadium Waikato to decide the Super Rugby Pacific 2023 title.

The trophy they’re playing for looks like the main character from the kids movie Megamind, but the good news is that it’s sturdy enough to withstand any punishment the Crusaders give it if they are the ones holding it up at the end of the game.

New Super Rugby Pacific trophy looks like a villain from a Pixar movie… pic.twitter.com/oUPCyEBgMi

— Jamie Wall (@JamieWall2) May 29, 2022

That’ll mean a performance from New Zealand’s most well-known breakdancer, but the Chiefs will be doing everything they can to keep Scott Robertson’s b-boy stance locked and not popped.

Here’s a look at the key factors in Super Rugby’s big dance:

Home ground advantage: The Chiefs have been averaging a shade over 30 points a game in Hamilton, with all of those being wins. FMG Stadium Waikato put up the sold out signs on Tuesday, meaning there will be as much support as possible for the home side as they host a final for the first time since 2013.

Crusaders know how to win finals: Robertson knows how to get this team up for the big games. If they get their way, it’ll be an arm wrestle as the Crusaders are happy to establish a lead and then tackle their way to victory. This is the seventh time he’s taken this team to a final, and they’ve won all of them so far.

But the Chiefs know how to beat the Crusaders: The unthinkable happened in Christchurch in round one, when the Chiefs simply marched in and flogged them 31-8. Put that down to first game nerves maybe, but the Chiefs repeated the dose in round right when they won 34-24 in Hamilton.

In doing so, they became the first side to ever beat the Crusaders twice in one season.

Tackle, tackle, tackle: That last scoreline did flatter the Crusaders, as they scored right on fulltime to gain some respectability in a game where they were once again well beaten. While shipping 34 points past the defending champions is nothing to be sniffed at, the real story of that game was how well the Chiefs’ defence organised themselves.

The Crusaders will be coming in with a plan to unlock that somehow, which may well be a repeat of the absolute bludgeoning they gave the Blues’ forwards in their one-sided semifinal.

Leicester Fainga’anuku on the attack during last Saturday’s pummelling of the Blues.
Photo: Photosport

DMac v Richie: Is this a shadow All Black trial for the first five position? Mo’unga has probably got the inside running but if last weekend’s fixtures showed, the selectors can certainly be swayed. The two are different players given different game plans, but the Chiefs went kick heavy in their tense win over the Brumbies in the semifinal, which showed that McKenzie can shut a game down if he needs to. Shaun Stevenson has one of the biggest boots in the country as well, to add to any real estate that the Chiefs are looking to acquire.

Points to prove: Stevenson has been the major talking point of the recent All Black selection, though not for the reasons he wanted. Does he use it to fuel his fire and show Ian Foster what he’s passed up? Same for the unlucky Brad Weber, and then there’s Pita Gus Sowakula who is probably still sore about what happened last year.

Shaun Stevenson of the Chiefs during the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final match between the Chiefs and the Brumbies at FMG Stadium.
Photo: Aaron Gillions / PhotoSport

Happiness at being selected: On the flip side, there’s Leicester Fainga’anuku, who gets to continue his All Black career while looking forward to his big pay day next year at Toulon. Tamaiti Williams is in line to be the heaviest All Black ever, and while Dallas McLeod is a very handy player, it’s likely the only people that thought he was going to get a call up were his mum and dad.

Will all that be a help or a hindrance, given that for many of the players the goal of making the All Blacks has been completed?

Robertson v McMillan: The Crusaders coach is looking for the perfect farewell, but McMillan would be just as good a story too. After the turmoil of signing Warren Gatland in possibly the worst coaching deal ever, the Chiefs have done very well with McMillan, who has signed on for five years and given them unique stability compared to the other NZ teams.

Whatever happens, it’s Robertson’s last game before he takes over at the All Blacks, just what his approach will be towards resting test players during Super Rugby will be interesting.