‘Do-or-die stuff’: What Chiefs assistant expects from Crusaders in decider

No team has ever beaten the Crusaders three times in a single campaign, but the Chiefs have an opportunity to rewrite history on the biggest stage in Super Rugby Pacific this weekend.

The Chiefs made a statement in the opening round of the season with an emphatic 31-10 win over the champion Crusaders in Christchurch.

Led by the likes of Damian McKenzie and Shaun Stevenson, a second-half blitz saw the visitors record a big win to start the campaign.

The title holders were stunned.

Weeks went by and the Chiefs continued to assert their championship credentials during an impressive unbeaten run, while the Crusaders struggled to regain their mojo.

The two New Zealand rivals met again in Hamilton in late April, and the Chiefs emerged victorious once again – although this was a much more competitive contest.

But the past is the past. The two proud rugby franchises will meet again on Saturday in the final – and both the Chiefs and Crusaders will believe that victory is within reach.

Depending on who you ask, the Chiefs are more than deserving of the ‘favourites’ tag ahead of the decider. But the Crusaders have a history of success and that can’t be ignored.

The Chiefs and Crusaders are 80 minutes away from glory or heartbreak, but it’s an all-new ballgame in the playoffs.

In the leadup to this weekend’s final, assistant coach Nick White said the Chiefs might “only get one or two chances” against their old foes.

“I think it’s crucial. Do-or-die stuff from the last two weeks, we’ve been under the pump but we’re certainly going to be under the pump this weekend that’s for sure,” White said on The Platform.

“If we get given a few chances we’re going to have to take them otherwise it’s going to be a tough old night.

“We played them a couple of years ago down there in the final and we weren’t good enough to take our opportunities and hence (we came) second.”

The Chiefs were almost perfect throughout the regular season. A surprising three-point loss to the Queensland Reds in New Plymouth was the only blip in an otherwise sensational campaign.

But throughout the playoffs, the Hamilton-based outfit hasn’t quite reached the same heights.

After beating the Reds in a hard-fought quarter-final earlier this month, the Chiefs snuck by the ACT Brumbies at FMG Stadium last weekend.

As for the Crusaders, they’ve gone to an all-new level during the finals.

The Crusaders beat the Fijian Drua in the quarter-finals, before inflicting a devastating 52-15 win upon the Blues last Friday.

But that’s what the Crusaders do in the playoffs.

“I was a little bit (surprised). Not surprised by how well they played probably but I thought the Blues would certainly be able to chuck a little bit more at them,” White added.

“Sometimes when you’re playing games like that, nothing falls your way and it’s hard to get out of it.

“They were just unable to stop the momentum or anything.

“It’s easy to sit back from where we were on the couch and look at it and say, ‘Do this, do that.’ It’s bloody tough to stop a side when they get on a roll like that.

“We can see what they’re capable of.”

The Chiefs host the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday at 7.05 pm NZST at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium.