The biggest threat to the Chiefs is not the Crusaders

After pounding Moana Pasifika 85-7, the Chiefs looked every bit the 2025 champions on paper.

They’ve smoked the Crusaders twice, home and away, while they are an inch away from making sure the road to the title goes through Hamilton by securing the top seed. They have one hand on the trophy, just about.

With 46 competition points the Chiefs have to beat the Highlanders to stop the winner of the Crusaders-Brumbies clash from taking away home-field advantage. Odds are they will do so, but there is a rising force coming home strong that has revenge in mind.

That team is the Hurricanes, who the Chiefs eliminated in last year’s semi-finals in a shock defeat in the capital. It’s easily forgotten how good the Hurricanes were in 2024, finishing with a 12-2 record.

Battling through an early season injury crisis in 2025, last year’s number one seed has had a troubled road to get into playoff contention leading to low expectations.

They started the season without star first fives Brett Cameron and Ruben Love, midfielders Riley Higgins and Billy Proctor, All Black tighthead Tyrel Lomax and hooker Asafo Aumua. Not to mention the departure of Jordie Barrett to Leinster.

That toll was too heavy with the Hurricanes suffering three losses in their opening four games.

But since getting back in-form centre Billy Proctor and a host of other players, the Hurricanes are 5-0 and have not lost a game. The winning run started with an away 35-29 win over the Brumbies in Canberra in which Proctor was the star.

They are a transformed side with the big guns back, averaging the most line breaks per game (8.1), most defenders beaten (29.8) and most offloads (9.6). They are statistically the most dangerous attacking team in the competition.

Cam Roigard has the most try involvements of any player in the competition with 14, three tries and 11 assists. Ruben Love has nine including eight try assists, despite just playing nine games.

When it comes to tackle evasion percentage, the Hurricanes have three of the top four players, with Cam Roigard ranked second, Callum Harkin third and All Blacks Sevens recruit Fehi Fineanganofo in fourth.

Harkin has been one of the stories of the season, a player who cut his teeth in the Wellington club competition for years. Pulled off the building site to make his debut as a 26-year-old, the fullback has made a lot of people look silly on and off the field.

He can actually hit a short ball and run a line, something many pro players of this era have no instinct for. That has led to nine line breaks and 31 defenders beaten, which is top 10 in the competition. For a player that did not go through the traditional pro pathway, he’s proving to be better than so many that do and has been a handy addition.

Fineanafanofo has had to bide his time but has come back into contention with Kini Naholo suffering a season ending injury and Punivai going down.

The weapons the Hurricanes have at their disposal are as good as the Chiefs despite having lost Naholo for the season, and now Higgins again, Godfrey and Punivai.

Up front the Canes are really healthy, with No.8 Braydon Iose the only starting forward sidelined currently. The front row is power packed with Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua, Tyrel Lomax and Pasilio Tosi on the bench.

Du’Plessis Kirifi is a turnover machine, second in the competition only behind Timoci Tavatavanawai with 16 breakdown steals and one cap All Black Peter Lakai is putting his name forward as a No.8 candidate.

After 2024 the Hurricanes would love nothing more than to return the favour and knock the Chiefs out at FMG Stadium in the semi-finals.

If the Chiefs finish as number one seed and the Hurricanes as the number four after this weekend, it is a real possibility. The Blues can sneak into the sixth playoff spot, setting up a showdown with the Chiefs in the first week.

Should the Blues do that, they’ll give the Chiefs a physical check. They will bash the mana out of them with the bruising pack they have, and at least go out of the competition swinging.

After being buttered up by the Blues, it would be the perfect time for the Hurricanes to come in the next week with the knock out blow and send the Chiefs packing for another failed title run.

There are three teams to beat the Chiefs this season, and one of them is the Canes who rode a four-try effort from Bailyn Sullivan off the bench to win 35-17.

They had a commanding 17-9 lead and their left edge defence was torn to pieces in the second half.  That was a big wake up call for the Chiefs but signals what the Hurricanes are capable of.

History doesn’t repeat but it often rhymes, and the Chiefs sure as hell don’t want to see the Hurricanes in a few weeks time for a payback visit.