It’s first against second from the regular season and a contest between the two best sides, with the Chiefs the slight favourites to beat the Crusaders.
The decider will be Scott Robertson’s last match in charge of the Crusaders before he becomes the All Blacks coach in 2024.
The Crusaders have won six successive titles in each year Robertson has been coach since 2017 (not including the combined trans-Tasman competition that was only created because of Covid-19 in 2021) in what’s been a phenomenal dynasty.
They have also won all 15 playoff matches in his tenure and none were as impressive, or menacing, as last Friday night’s 52-15 rout of the hapless Blues in their semifinal.
The Crusaders have collected 13 titles in the Super Rugby era since 1996 and have by far the best record – the Blues and the Bulls are tied second on three titles each from a combined competition (not including the Blues’ trans-Tasman victory in 2021).
Their winning record in 16 finals, with 12 victories since their first with Wayne Smith in 1998.
The Crusaders have won finals in five cities – Auckland (1998, 2022), Dunedin (1999), Canberra (2000), Christchurch (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2019, 2021) and Johannesburg (2017) – and beaten eight teams (the Blues, the Highlanders, the Brumbies, the Waratahs, the Hurricanes, the Lions, the Jaguares and the Chiefs) to lift the trophy.
The Crusaders and the Chiefs have met only once in a final, in Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2021, and Robertson’s men were too good in Christchurch, winning 24-13 in the last season of the all-Kiwi competition after its introduction in 2020.
The Chiefs won their two titles in 2012 and 2013 but have not reached the final of a combined Super Rugby competition since.
It’s been a decade since they beat the Brumbies 27-22 in Hamilton to go back-to-back under Dave Rennie.
On Saturday night, it will be 56 days since the Chiefs and the Crusaders last met, with Clayton McMillan’s side finishing strongly to win 34-24 in a thriller in Hamilton on April 29.
The Chiefs host the Crusaders at 7.05pm Saturday at FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton.
[Source: Stuff.co]
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