Super Rugby Pacific final: How to win the Blues v Chiefs game – Tight Five

Elliott Smith is the chief rugby commentator and reporter for Newstalk ZB and Gold Sport. He has been a sports journalist since 2010 and has traveled to three Rugby World Cups.

ANALYSIS

Blues vs Chiefs, Super Rugby Pacific
final, Eden Park Saturday 7.05pm

A question… Could we be witnessing the completion of one of rugby’s great foxing efforts? If the Chiefs win the Super Rugby Pacific final tomorrow night, it could go down in history. Rarely during the regular season, with two defeats to the Hurricanes, one to the Blues and one to the woeful Crusaders of only the New Zealand teams, have they looked like the championship contenders they had picked as in pre-season, given how close they were . they reached 2023. But in the last two weeks they have looked at a different side, as if they had planned it all that way.

A suggestion… They’ve had injuries, but the increase in intensity feels like the lesson has been learned from last year, when they set the pace and then lost in the play-offs to a Crusaders side that cracked during the regular season but then eviscerated the Blues had stripped. when it mattered most in the semi-final, taking advantage of a Chiefs side losing their heads in the decider. It could just be a coincidence, but after they were comfortably defeated by the Blues in the final round of the season, Chiefs coach (and prophet) Clayton McMillan stared with a crystal ball that he would have us (the media) back here in three weeks to see. … so it will be.

An explanation… While the Chiefs may have timed their run to perfection, it does highlight some problems with Super Rugby and the current format. The lack of danger in their place in the play-offs from far away – even with their losses to the New Zealand sides – meant they knew they would be good enough to finish fourth and from there progress to the final. A more difficult path than the top two seeds for sure, but not insurmountable. Whether the Blues have learned the lessons of the past two years will be a fascinating subtext: they found they couldn’t reach another level in two consecutive years against the Crusaders – but now that the Big Bad Wolf is gone, will they finally discover their path cleared to the trophy?

An observation… The appointment of Australian Nic Berry for the Superfinal is extremely confusing, especially as Ben O’Keeffe – the best referee in Australia or New Zealand – was not given a semi-final or final. Berry isn’t Australia’s best referee either – that honor certainly goes to Angus Gardner, even if it felt like he had a slightly off-kilter match in the semi-final between the Hurricanes and Chiefs. At first glance, this appears to be an Australian attempt to make the final look less like a domestic New Zealand final and more like an international product, as it will be a quartet performing exclusively on the West Island. Useful for the Blues and Chiefs players who will be named in the All Blacks, Berry will referee the second test against England, again at Eden Park.

A prediction… Avoiding Berry’s wrath will be crucial for two players in particular in tomorrow night’s decider, where discipline will go a long way in deciding the match. Chiefs skipper Luke Jacobson has been pinged 19 times this season (second overall) and outgoing Blues winger Akira Ioane 16 times (fourth). Neither can afford to add too much to that number tomorrow night in what will likely be a game of inches.

Follow the Super Rugby final nzherald.co.nzand join Elliott Smith, Ant Strachan and Nathan Limm for full match commentary live on GOLD SPORT and iHeartRadio.