‘Barely a shot fired’ – Chiefs final disappointment continues

The Blues broke a 21-year draft last night to win the Super Rugby championship at Eden Park, but the wait continues for the Chiefs who have made the grand final in three of the last four years and lost them all.

In retrospect, the Chiefs played their best game of the season the weekend before in their semi-final in Wellington, when they defeated the Hurricanes 30-19.

They were inventive, accurate and ruthless against the most consistent team in the league, but last night they came up against a Blues side that blew past the Drua and Brumbies in their play-offs, peaking at just the right time with just the right game plan.

“We barely fired a shot,” head coach Clayton McMillan said. “That was disappointing for guys who put in a lot of work, disappointing for the fans coming up State Highway 1. Going out with a whimper was disappointing, but I’m still incredibly proud of this team.”

Captain Luke Jacobson said: “We have to give credit to the Blues, they played a really good game tonight. They have played the same style of football all year and the circumstances probably played into their hands a bit. We couldn’t play in the areas we wanted and weren’t accurate enough.”

Last year the Chiefs lost to the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium. That hurts. In 2021 they lost to Scott Robertson’s team in Christchurch. That hurt too. Last night they were dominated all over the pitch by the Blues.

For McMillan, the feelings are familiar, but not easier to accept.

“We have some great young men,” he said. “We will get better and win one eventually. There is no doubt in my mind about that.”

As the Blues retained possession and played near-perfect wet-weather rugby, there was little room for the likes of Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown, Emoni Narawa and Etene Nanai-Seturo to break free.

It also meant that their promising number 8 Wallace Sititi – the 21-year-old who was outstanding in their semi-final – was too stuck in the tight end to operate more broadly with his full skill set.

“Pure possession. We were lucky to get 30% of the ball, and a lot of it was in the wrong parts of the pitch,” McMillan said.

“Give Vern (Cotter) credit because he came here and he recognized the athletes he did, he flipped the script on the way the Blues traditionally played and it paid off tremendously.

“The weight of possession makes it difficult, especially when it’s wet and they get direct, because the point of the ruck is constantly changing and you have to get back onside and if you’re a little bit wide they can play at the top and still get a punishment. That’s a classic football final and they played it very well.”

Cotter’s men played a simple and direct style, but that is easier said than done. While knowing the game plan is one thing, executing it with accuracy and dedication is another.

And they did it so well, with so few mistakes, in such a high-pressure environment that it begs the question whether such a style could work for the All Blacks.

Scott Robertson will name his first squad tomorrow for next month’s two Tests against England and one against Fiji and the new game plan will be as eagerly anticipated as the members of the 32-man squad.

McMillan said: “It will be interesting to see how the All Blacks go because it really is something new for New Zealand, isn’t it? We haven’t really seen a team do that yet. That’s probably a bit off the DNA of All Black rugby. It will be interesting to see what the All Black coaches have seen from teams that have become more direct, such as the Blues And to see what can be implemented in the All Black regime.

“We know that the Africans and some teams in the north are a bit more direct. I think the key will be to understand whether we have the athletes to play that kind of style at international level.”