The Super Rugby Pacific final is set, and it carries a familiar weight: the top-seeded Hurricanes will host the Chiefs in Wellington on Saturday, 20 June, with both teams arriving off the back of one-sided semi-final wins.
The Hurricanes earned home advantage by topping the regular-season table, then backed it up in the knockouts — a 66-12 demolition of the Brumbies in their qualifying final, followed by a 57-21 rout of the Blues. The Chiefs, seeded second, beat the Queensland Reds in their opening play-off before dismantling defending champions the Crusaders 49-12 in Hamilton. It is the Chiefs' fourth consecutive Grand Final, a run that has so far yielded heartbreak rather than silverware; they last lifted the title in 2013. The Hurricanes are chasing only their second crown, and their first since 2016.
Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw has been able to name a settled side through the play-offs. "It is a bonus being able to pick a consistent team where a couple of guys who have been injured are coming back in," he said in the build-up to the semi-finals. He is under no illusions about the standard at this stage: "We're expecting a tough semifinal. At this time of the year, the four best teams are left."
Much of the Hurricanes' threat runs through halfback Cam Roigard, whose sharp service and running game have driven their attack all season. Roigard has warned that recent form will count for little once the knockouts begin. "I don't think the past few weeks will be a reflection of how they're going to play. They're going to be physical," he said ahead of the Blues semi-final.
The Chiefs counter with arguably the competition's most reliable set piece — it was their dominant scrum and lineout that broke the Crusaders — and the game-management of first five-eighths Damian McKenzie. "We are excited for this match and ready to rip in. We know what to expect and what we need to do to win," McKenzie said before the semi-final, adding a note of caution familiar to anyone who has watched finals football: "In playoff rugby there are small margins and moment you have to nail."
Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa'i framed the challenge in simpler terms. "There'll be a lot of emotions going in and out of our heads, but I think the longer we can stay composed and poised, we can come out with the win," he said. "There's a cliche that defence wins games, and it's going to come down to our defence."
Both camps carry minor fitness questions. The Hurricanes' lineout stuttered after hooker Asafo Aumua left the field against the Blues, while the Chiefs are monitoring second-five Quinn Tupaea after an ankle knock in Hamilton.
The match also closes a chapter for the Blues, whose departing coach Vern Cotter signed off after the semi-final loss with characteristic warmth. "I don't have much time to say it, but I loved it," Cotter said. "I loved working with these boys. I loved every moment. I was born in Auckland, so it was nice to be able to coach a team that you're born in."
Kick-off in Wellington is scheduled for 5.30pm NZST (3.30pm AEST) on Saturday.
