The ACT Brumbies will not so much have to rewrite the record books as tear them to pieces and stamp the remains into the Hamilton turf if they are to deprive the Waikato Chiefs of successive Super Rugby titles this weekend.
Win or lose, today’s final will mark the end of 23,000km, three-week odyssey that has taken the Brumbies from a home playoff victory over the Central Cheetahs, through a semi-final upset of the Northern Bulls in Pretoria to the brink of a third title.
In their path stand Dave Rennie’s Waikato Chiefs, as fresh as a team can be a week after a typically bruising semi-final encounter with the Canterbury Crusaders and determined to retain the crown they won for the first time last year.
Photo: AFP
The match at the 25,000 capacity Waikato Stadium was sold out in six hours and the arena, in the heart of a city known affectionately as “the Tron,” will be no place for the faint-hearted today.
To say that precedent suggests a Chiefs win would be a major understatement.
Should the Brumbies win, they would become the first team from overseas to win any playoff match in New Zealand and the first side in 13 years to win the final outside their own country.
They would be the first to win the title after finishing outside the top two in the regular season standings and the first to triumph after winning a semi-final on another continent.
The Brumbies have lost all three of the finals they have contested away from Canberra, taking the title only on home soil in both 2001 and 2004.
“I’m under no illusions that it’s never been done before,” coach Jake White said in the flush of the victory over the Bulls in Pretoria. “But there’s a lot of things that haven’t been done by teams before and the Brumbies have done them week-in, week-out. Who knows? This is a special group of players. Two years ago no one gave us a chance.”
Two years ago, few would have predicted a Chiefs-Brumbies final at all, after the New Zealanders finished 10th and the Brumbies 13th in the standings.
Former World Cup-winning Springbok coach White has since turned things around in Canberra, while Rennie has had a more immediate impact upon his arrival in Hamilton.
Sonny Bill Williams helped them to the title last year, but the Chiefs were never even close to a one-man team and the hard-working forward pack that provided the platform for last year’s success remained for this year’s campaign.
With flyhalf Aaron Cruden’s influence growing game-by-game, the Chiefs brushed off a 43-15 hammering by the Crusaders a month ago to secure top spot in the final standings before gaining revenge over the Canterbury side last weekend.
Rennie named an unchanged side on Thursday subject to winger Lelia Masaga, who scored a stunning individual try in the 20-19 win over the Crusaders, passing a fitness test on his injured ankle.
“We are still highly motivated,” Rennie said on Thursday. “I guess the fact we have been here before gives you confidence and understanding of what to expect, and does not make it any easier. We have come up against a very good side who were very impressive at Loftus last week and have an outstanding coaching group.”
The experience of winning the title in the Brumbies camp is nine years old now and limited to evergreen flanker George Smith and revitalized winger Clyde Rathbone.
To give the Brumbies a chance, Smith will probably have to reprise his man of the match performance from last week in Pretoria, when the Brumbies became the first team to beat the Bulls in a semi-final at Loftus Versfeld.
“Little things along the way build belief and we have the momentum now,” Rathbone told ABC radio this week. “To knock over the Bulls in Pretoria has given us the belief we can go to Hamilton and do the same.”
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two