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'Got that belief now': Shaun Stevenson on the keys to the Chiefs' unbeaten run

By Ben Smith
Braydon Ennor of the Crusaders attempts to secure the ball during the round 10 Super Rugby Pacific match between Chiefs and Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato, on April 29, 2023, in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Shaun Stevenson once again starred for the Chiefs as they claimed a regular season sweep over the Crusaders with a classic 34-24 win to maintain their unbeaten streak.

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Having stunned the defending champions in round one 31-10 in Christchurch, the hotly anticipated return clash was a much tighter affair with both sides rising for the occasion in front of a sold out FMG Stadium in Hamilton.

Expectations for the Chiefs are now firmly in place for a Super Rugby title, the first since Dave Rennie’s side in 2013, after nine straight wins to start the season.

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Stevenson said the success is down to keeping the same group together that went through the winless Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign in 2020.

“It’s quite funny, on Tuesday there were about 20 media there, and three years ago when we lost six on the trot there was probably one,” Stevenson told Sky Sport.

“I don’t know if there is something in the water, I just think we have grown as a group together.

“We’ve had the same team for the last few years now and we’ve built that character and got that belief now.”

The Chiefs failed to score a try in the first half but four penalties to Damian McKenzie built a 12-7 lead at half-time.

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McKenzie opened up the Crusaders early in the second half by punching through the line before finding a backhand flick for Stevenson at pace.

The Chiefs’ fullback rounded Richie Mo’unga before taking the safe option and passing inside to the unmarked Brodie Retallick to extend the lead to 19-7.

However the visitors stormed back to take the lead with multiple lead changes down the stretch.

It was McKenzie and Stevenson combining again with less than 10 minutes to go to come up with the game’s biggest play.

McKenzie, playing fullback for the last quarter, broke free and found Stevenson on the right wing streaking down the sideline.

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With Braydon Ennor breathing down his neck trying to bring him down, the No 15 reached out with one hand to squeeze the ball inside the corner flag.

“Oh, just got to find that white try line man, honestly when you get set up in that space you have to finish it,” Stevenson said of his effort.

He wasn’t able to bring out the trademark shooter celebration as FMG Stadium erupted.

“To be honest I had cramps, I had a sore calf with everyone jumping on me I just wanted a bit of breathing space.”

The Chiefs were prepared for the Crusaders’ kicking game which Stevenson identified as key to the side’s success.

“We knew they were going to bring everything, it was just awesome to get the win,” he said.

“We knew they were going to go to their kicking game a lot.

“If we just took the high balls and nullified their kicking game, we knew we could get in the game.”

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watty 508 days ago

Great game great coach lets hope ab selectors were watching closely!

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Jonathan Foster 2 hours ago
Scott Lawrence: 'I think the forward pass for the Fiji try was a pivotal moment in the game'

In this match, Fiji’s performance was exceptional, and the statistics reflect that they were the superior team on the day.


For instance:


Possession: Fiji controlled 59% of the possession during the match, while the USA only had 41% (RugbyPass, 2024). This allowed Fiji to apply constant pressure on USA’s defense and create more opportunities for scoring.


Territory: Fiji spent 64% of the match in USA’s half, keeping the Americans under sustained pressure (World Rugby, 2024).


Offensive Play: Fiji made 7 line breaks, compared to USA’s 3. In addition, Fiji completed 12 offloads while USA only managed 5, highlighting Fiji's superior attacking ability and ball handling (World Rugby, 2024).


Scrums and Rucks: Fiji was dominant in the scrums, winning 100% of their own scrums (8 out of 8), whereas USA only won 71% of theirs (5 out of 7).


Additionally, Fiji won 6 turnovers compared to USA’s 2 (ESPN, 2024). This scrummaging and breakdown superiority was a critical factor in controlling the game.


Additionally, while forward passes can be contentious, it’s important to note that USA was also guilty of making 3 forward passes during the match, which resulted in lost opportunities and turnovers (RugbyPass, 2024).


These key errors disrupted momentum and contributed to their inability to maintain a sustained attack.


References

ESPN. (2024). Fiji vs USA match report. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/rugby/match


RugbyPass. (2024). Scott Lawrence on the Fiji match and forward pass controversy. Retrieved from https://www.rugbypass.com/news


World Rugby. (2024). Fiji triumphs over USA in a thrilling encounter. Retrieved from https://www.world.rugby.com

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J
JW 4 hours ago
‘Did Conrad really score that many’: Rieko Ioane dismisses All Blacks drought

Indeed, but I also appreciate how Razor now has him covering the backfield more. Are they conflicting uses? Who was it that covered the Arg game, John(?), no it was a YTer (squidge?) suggested Jordies role was to chase and support the wing for a tap back.


That turnover try was actually a great example of were Jordies boot could have been used for territory instead of attacking (contestable). Hansen talking again about 'learnings' about what part of the field they want to play in. I would have thought that would be a basic principle about how the coaches want to play and it would be a bit late now to be learning that.


Nevrtheless we wait and see. One Barretts carrying though I'd suggest he only has a mandate to bring some physicality, not in how he does it. You can see how out of kilter he gets when he tries to do anything other than a simple cart up and pop. Just look at least week when he had two players on the outside to hit in multiple ways and he just indecisively takes the tackle before giving a poor overhead pop. That he still got the pass away hints at what he is "capable of" but as you saw, with free license, its just far off the mark. I've decided Rieko is my 12 from now on. I'd like Jordie to remain primarly at 12 at the Hurricans, as I feel that's were his best alround game can be kept in good shape, and you never know perhaps he will fill into the position after a while, but I'd like to try other centers essentially. But yes, if Razor/Hansen can get both him and Dmac humming in partnership they could also essentially cover many of the fb roles which aren't Jordans strength. Also obv happy to see Rieko tried on the wing just now I think that's more likely to fail than a Rieko/Proctor midfield.

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