Brodie Retallick yesterday scored the only try as the Waikato Chiefs edged the ACT Brumbies 19-6 in an arm-wrestle of a Super Rugby Pacific semi-final to set up a home title-decider against the Canterbury Crusaders next week.
Both sides defended defiantly in a match for the purists at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton and the contest remained try-less until the big All Blacks lock barged over the line two minutes from time.
Chiefs flyhalf Damian McKenzie had few opportunities to display his running flair, but kicked five goals from five attempts to keep the home side in front throughout.
Photo: AFP
The Chiefs topped the regular-season standings to earn the right to host the final against 13-times Super Rugby champions the Crusaders, who crushed the Auckland Blues 52-15 in Friday’s first semi-final in Christchurch.
“I feel like we’ve won every way this season and that was just a hell of a grind against a good Brumbies team,” said Brad Weber, who is to lead the Chiefs in their quest for a first title since they won back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. “I’m stoked it’s against the Crusaders. If we want to be the best, we’ve got to beat the best. Been chasing it for 10 years and I just want it so bad.”
The Canberra-based Brumbies, looking to become the first Australian team in nearly three decades of Super Rugby to win a playoff in New Zealand, had just two penalties from the boot of Noah Lolesio to show for their efforts.
Photo: AFP
The players warmed up in teeming rain that returned intermittently throughout the 80 minutes and the match was dominated by long kicking as the teams jostled for field position in the greasy conditions.
McKenzie scored the first points in the eighth minute with his first penalty and the flyhalf had the cow bells clanging again when he doubled the lead with his second on the half-hour mark.
Lolesio got the Brumbies on the board from the kicking tee a few minutes after coming on as a replacement for flyhalf Jack Debreczeni.
The attrition continued after the break and McKenzie and Lolesio traded penalties with the former then pushing the Chiefs 12-6 ahead with a huge 50m effort in the 72nd minute.
McKenzie eventually got a chance to run free in the last five minutes, but was just unable to put fullback Shaun Stevenson away for a try.
It was left to Rettalick to finally find a way through the Brumbies defensive line a few phases later.
“We certainly threw everything we had at it,” Brumbies skipper Nic White said. “Fair play to them, they’re a good side.”
On Friday, All Blacks-bound coach Leon MacDonald said that his Blues were no match for the Crusaders.
MacDonald, who is to work as an assistant to Scott Robertson when the Crusaders’ coach takes over at the All Blacks’ helm later this year, saw his team dismantled in the first 40 minutes and said that the Blues were no match for the reigning champions.
“When you go up against the Crusaders, they’ll test you and you’ve got to have your mindset tough,” MacDonald said. “It’s the dark arts of the game that they’re so good at and for us to not be able to step up when it was our opportunity to do that is probably the thing that hurts the most.”
“We’re not a great team, we aren’t nailing the big moments, big games and that’s obviously frustrating, but there’s something about this group that can turn into a very good team, and I just hope they stick tight and whoever takes the helm next is able just to keep cranking them forward,” he said.
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