WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Auckland-based Blues face the Hamilton-based Chiefs on Saturday in a New Zealand-run Super Rugby Pacific final that feels like a matchup with strong destiny for both teams.
The Blues have been trying to win a third Super Rugby title for more than two decades but have failed and often ended in disappointment. The last time they won a full Super Rugby tournament was in 2003 and their best result since then was winning a shortened edition of the tournament in New Zealand during the pandemic.
Rugby in New Zealand is arguably in decline due to the Blues’ struggles and a win could help re-attract many of Auckland’s young players who have moved on to other sports, mainly rugby league and basketball.
The Blues defeated Australia’s last remaining hope, the Brumbies, in the semi-finals and will go into the final as seeded favourites to win, facing the Chiefs, who had defeated the top-seeded Hurricanes 30-19 in Wellington.
The Chiefs go into the final on a high, with the wind at their back and feeling destined to add to their second title won under manager Dave Rennie in 2013.
The way they beat the Hurricanes at their home ground in Wellington, in front of around 30,000 fans who were stunned silent for much of the game, should serve as a warning to the Blues.
The Hurricanes were always going to be vulnerable to early starts but the Chiefs delivered, scoring two tries in the first six minutes plus a penalty goal to take a 17-0 lead. The Chiefs’ very physical defence forced the Hurricanes into constant mistakes and hurried, inaccurate kicks, giving them no hope of recovering from their deficit.
Young back-rower Wallace Siti had a great game for the Chiefs, his interception setting up Daniel Rona’s try that sealed the Hurricanes’ fate.
Siti may also have issued a challenge to new All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson, who will be announcing his first squad of the season for the match against England, to see whether he focuses on players who have been in good form this season or sticks to the Crusaders players he knows best.
A number of young players have stepped up and demanded to be recognised this year and while Siti may have come a long way, Hurricanes flanker Peter Lakay and full-back Reuben Love, Chiefs wingers Emoni Nalawa and Etene Nanai Setulo, flanker Samipeni Finau and scrum-half Cortes Latima are all clamouring for consideration.
The Chiefs will be without hooker Samisoni Taukeiaho for Saturday’s final, who was injured against the Hurricanes, and likely back-up hooker Bradley Slater, with Taukeiaho seemingly a sure bet for the All Blacks but suffering a calf injury and Slater failing a diagnosis for a head injury.
“It’s pretty bad,” Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said of Taukeiaho’s injury. “We might be looking at another hooker. It’s either calf or Achilles. I don’t think it’s anything too serious, but something’s happened.”
The semi-finals are often a stage for young players to demonstrate their abilities, and Siti’s performance attracted attention.
“I thought he was a great player,” McMillan said. “He’s been involved in a lot of big plays. He’s got a big future.”
“There were a lot of good rugby players out there today and there was talk in the media that this was like an All Blacks trial. If that was the case some of our players would have had their names written in pencil if not ink.”
The Blues were pleased with their performance against the Brumbies in their final preparations, scoring early to lead 27-13 at half-time before surviving a Brumbies fightback in the second half.
The Blues are back in the final two years after their last confident title challenge was thwarted by the Crusaders, with captain Dalton Papali attributing the defeat to “complacence”.
“We’ve been reminded of that a couple of times this year against the Hurricanes and Crusaders, but we can’t let our guard down,” Papali said.
“The good thing about this year is we had those reminders.”
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