Chiefs player ratings: Brilliant All Black the ‘most unfortunate’ loser as Damian McKenzie’s fails to fire at the ‘worst time’
Tupou Vaa’i and an inset of Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie.
Following yet another Super Rugby Pacific Final defeat, here’s how we rated the Chiefs in their 16-12 defeat to the Crusaders.
Chiefs player ratings v Crusaders
15 Shaun Stevenson: Playing for the last time for the Chiefs ahead of his move to Japan, the full-back grabbed a crucial try that put his side back in the game. However, he spilt a straightforward catch under no pressure at all, which eventually led to three points for the Crusaders. The hosts won the kicking duel and aerial battle in the end, too. 6
14 Emoni Narawa: Proved to be a tricky customer with his pick and goes around the rucks yet again, but the Crusaders managed that threat to well to a degree. He struggled to really lay down a marker in the match despite making use of his booming boot. 5
13 Daniel Rona: Landed a few hefty hits on defence, but the Chiefs simply did not get the ball wide enough or often enough to really stretch the Crusaders’ defence. He needed to get his hands on the ball, but just didn’t pop in the right situations to do so, and it cost his side. 6
12 Quinn Tupaea: Both teams defended well today, and for the Chiefs, their efforts were led by the excellent Tupaea, who impressed all year and shot himself back into All Blacks’ contention. The attack faltered today, but it looked best when the ball was in the midfielder’s hands as he not only carried aggressively into contact but showed his softer skills with deft kicks in behind. 8
11 Leroy Carter: A lively shift as he went looking for work in the tight exchanges as the Chiefs attacked quite narrowly throughout the match. As mentioned above, the visitors were beaten in the air with Sevu Reece and Will Jordan applying the pressure on Carter and his fellow outside backs. 5
10 Damian McKenzie: Defence certainly ruled the final, but the All Blacks’ pivot will have to take one on the chin for his more conservative approach. There were very few examples of him trying to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and the five points he missed off the tee proved to be the difference. Far from his best game of the season, and really came at the worst possible time for the Chiefs. 5
9 Cortez Ratima: Replaced in the final quarter of the match after a decent outing. He controlled the Chiefs’ tight attack well, which was clearly the plan, but didn’t really test the fringes at all. The Crusaders came out on top with the kicking battle while he was on the park too. 5
The forwards
8 Wallace Sititi: Never short on involvements, the 2024 Breakthrough Player of the Year racked up an impressive 17 tackles and gained 22 metres from his six carries, but will be fuming that he was so lethargic in his reaction to Codie Taylor’s breakaway from the driving maul. In a gruelling forward battle, he held his own and impressed without being a real standout. 7
7 Luke Jacobson: The Chiefs skipper brilliantly set up his side’s first try of the match with a smart pass close to the line to George Dyer and was one of the leading tacklers as his team narrowly fell short. He has been a true warrior for the Chiefs this season, and today was no different as he battled away relentlessly throughout his shift, albeit in vain. 7
6 Samipeni Finau: The final piece in a brave loose trio shift from the Chiefs. Finau has struggled to stay on the right side of the referee’s whistle at times this season, notably against the Blues, but he was good in this regard today. 7
5 Tupou Vaa’i: Another standout performance, and there have been plenty of those this season from the All Blacks second rower. He was excellent at lineout time, putting the Crusaders’ set-piece under immense pressure. Vaa’i topped the tackle count in the final, won a turnover too and was powerful with ball in hand. Quite simply, the best Chiefs’ player on the park and the most unfortunate to be on the losing end of the result. 8
4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi: Flashes of excellence through his hour-long shift with aggressive carries and hits in a mightily physical encounter where he held his own. 6
3 George Dyer: Part of a dominant Chiefs’ scrum in the opening knockings of the match, but that unravelled as the game progressed. He did well to grab the opening try of the game after a relentless Chiefs onslaught in the Crusaders’ 22. 5
2 Samisoni Taukei’aho: Powerful with the ball in hand which is stock-standard from the All Blacks hooker. The ‘Saders picked off just one of his lineouts, while he was sharp enough defensively. 6
1 Ollie Norris: Put early pressure on Fletcher Newell in the scrums and won penalties off the All Blacks tighthead but the tide turned as the game went on, resulting in his substitution in the 50th minute. While the scrum didn’t all go his way, he went about making up for it around the park with strong carries and racked up a respectable 10 tackles, but three penalties against him is a real blight. 4
Replacements: The Chiefs were pointless in the second half as the Crusaders’ defence bossed proceedings. The scrum failed to rectify the issues that were creeping in while the likes of Josh Jacom, Xavier Roe and Etene Nainai-Seturo failed to provide the necessary spark. The Chiefs’ bench came to their rescue several times this season, but not when the mattered the most as they succumbed to another bridesmaid finish. 3
