The Chiefs have secured the highest seed heading into the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs with a 41-24 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin.
The sport introduced the hosts’ 2025 season to an in depth, however once more, confirmed the Dunedin trustworthy there are many causes to be excited in regards to the membership’s future.
For the Chiefs, the promise of home-field benefit and a lifeline subsequent week places them in a powerful place to reside as much as their billing as title favourites.
Listed below are some takeaways from the competition.
Chiefs hit playoffs in flying kind
This sport was one-way site visitors early. The Highlanders could also be backside of the Tremendous Rugby Pacific desk, however it is a group that has pushed the Hurricanes and Crusaders to the final minute of their two most up-to-date contests. That they had each proper to really feel they might at the very least make some noise tonight.
The physique language of the Chiefs, although, expressed absolute confidence. Their willingness to play with the ball and be artistic and free was complemented by their skill to complete the alternatives they created.
The Chiefs have been in a position to get the ball extensive after they needed to and made twice as many linebreaks because the Highlanders.
This was, in some ways, the right strategy to spherical out the common season for the Chiefs. When the dams burst, there was a flurry of tries, however equally, the Highlanders examined their mettle in stretches.
The evaluate from the sport will provide loads of reassurance and validation, but in addition preserve an edge that ought to carry nicely into preparations for the qualifying finals.
A final All Blacks audition
There are a number of Highlanders who’ve put their fingers up for larger honours in 2025, and lacking the playoffs comes as an additional blow for them on a person degree, as their counterparts go on with the chance to show they will carry out beneath the stress of knockout rugby.
Fabian Holland is maybe the almost certainly participant to debut for the All Blacks in 2025, with the second row shares nonetheless in rebuild mode after the departures of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick.
It was the latter of these two legends that Holland was in comparison with this week by former All Black James Parsons, who famous the 22-year-old’s engine, effectiveness at ruck time, and nous within the defensive lineouts as elite strings to his bow.
With Sam Darry injured and Josh Lord once more struggling to log constant minutes in 2025, Holland is a front-runner to be the fourth All Blacks lock, becoming a member of Scott Barrett, Patrick Tuipulotu and Tupou Vaa’i, who performed out of his pores and skin tonight.
The 2024 All Blacks XV standout made essentially the most of his closing All Blacks audition in Dunedin, logging 13 carries and 10 tackles to go together with his six lineout wins. It was a strong, bodily exhibiting from the workhorse.
Timoci Tavatavanawai can also be firmly within the choice image and contributed 15 carries for 61 metres on the night time. The Chiefs denied him any actual alternatives on the breakdown, however the Fijian-born buiser nonetheless managed some industrious moments within the tight sport.
Maybe not the barn-stormer he would’ve appreciated to finish the season with, however Tavatavanawai has definitely made his case all through a formidable 2024 Tremendous Rugby Pacific season. Hats off to the person for his first full season within the midfield.
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens is perhaps extra of an out of doors likelihood given how stacked the expertise shares out extensive are in New Zealand, however he’s definitely made his presence felt.
There have been some moments of magic from the fullback tonight, however one expertly regathered chip-and-chase was adopted by a few overly bold performs that handed the Chiefs counter-attack alternatives.
It was a efficiency that confirmed the skillset the 23-year-old possesses, but in addition, there could also be some refining to be performed earlier than he’s totally trusted on the subsequent degree.
Extra firepower for a loaded arsenal
Etene Nanai-Seturo led this contest with three linebreaks in what was his first sport in 4 months, regardless of solely taking part in the primary half. The previous All Blacks Sevens ace’s return coincided with Emoni Narawa’s harm – a deep minimize that shouldn’t maintain him sidelined lengthy.
When the two-Check All Black returns, Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan will boast a humiliation of riches in his exterior again shares. Heck, he does regardless.
Three real All Blacks contenders will probably be vying for beginning jerseys on the wings in these upcoming playoffs, with the type of each Leroy Carter and Emoni Narawa absolutely too good to relegate to the bench. And but the All Blacks XV scorching stepper, Nanai-Seturo, stays one of the crucial succesful game-breakers within the competitors.
The playmaking prowess of Damian McKenzie and Shaun Stevenson is certain to see the skin threats get area to work with, and Josh Jacomb had a few of his finest moments with the ball in hand tonight beneath the roof in Dunedin.
Jacomb displayed creativity and agility attacking in site visitors, together with his physique language by no means giving freely his subsequent transfer. Some gamers are simple to learn, however not Jacomb.
This Chiefs backline is actually lethal, and already boasted a deadly bench earlier than Nanai-Seturo’s return. These second-half surges may pack much more of a punch with the speedster’s X-factor coming off the bench.
