Chiefs player ratings: Emoni Narawa and Damian McKenzie shine in Super Rugby Pacific final defeat

Adam Kyriacou
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Chiefs fly-half Damian McKenzie

Following an agonising 25-20 defeat to the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Pacific final in Hamilton on Saturday, here’s our player ratings of the Chiefs.

Chiefs player ratings

15 Shaun Stevenson: Another top-class game from the All Blacks hopeful as he flummoxed Richie Mo’unga before clearing his lines superbly early on. Backed that up with a scorching first try of the game to equal the Chiefs’ season record of 12 scores. He also played a key part in Emoni Narawa’s second-half try, with his pace and pass helping send the wing over. Unlucky to be on the losing side. 8

14 Emoni Narawa: Took a testing high ball well early on and was a willing carrier in the first half. Narawa’s kicking game was also excellent, while he finished his try well on 33 minutes. Made a great break soon after and was unlucky to have a second try chalked off due to an earlier offside. The All Blacks have themselves a special talent. 9

13 Alex Nankivell: On his final run-out for the Chiefs, the centre’s lovely pass put Stevenson through a hole for his first-half try. Nankivell also had a hand in Narawa’s score and backed that up with a breakdown turnover on the hour mark. A solid outing despite being without his midfield partner for 10 minutes early in the game. 7

12 Anton Lienert-Brown: Extremely lucky to miss just 10 minutes of the game as his yellow card and subsequent off-field review for a head-on-head hit on Dallas McLeod stayed yellow due to a “drop in height” of the Crusader. Was his usual busy self thereafter but will no doubt be ruing that tackle. 6

11 Etene Nanai-Seturo: Made a handful of solid kick returns early in the game, and despite racking up 58 metres, he was definitely the quietest of the Chiefs’ back three. Didn’t see a great deal of ball in the second half. 7

Incredible McKenzie

10 Damian McKenzie: Gave everything to the cause as despite being targeted in defence early on, he defended stoutly. Grew into the game more and more as an attacking option, sometimes attempting to take the fight to the Crusaders on his own as he made a team-high 153 metres to go with 14 tackles. Simply has to feature in the All Blacks’ matchday 23 this season. 9

9 Brad Weber: His post-match interview summed up how much this narrow defeat hurt the scrum-half. Weber bids farewell to the Chiefs and would of course have loved to have signed off with a Super Rugby Pacific title on home soil. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be for the hard-working nine. In terms of performance, he was a calming presence on the day but struggled to have much impact with ball in hand. 6

8 Luke Jacobson: Another all-action showing from the number eight as his massive hit and strip on Will Jordan was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately received a yellow card for not supporting his body weight at a ruck, but that was a team punishment from referee Ben O’Keeffe. Finished with 13 tackles in an industrious performance. 7

7 Sam Cane: His team got on the wrong side of O’Keeffe early on, and Cane struggled to get the referee back onside, with his yellow card late in the game for offside summing up the Chiefs’ discipline issues. Didn’t offer much in possession but was his team’s top tackler with 22 as he emptied the tank in that department. 7

6 Pita Sowakula: The only change to their starting XV from the semi-final, Sowakula’s physical presence was evident as he made 24 metres from his five carriers, backing that up with a breakdown penalty win on 46 minutes. Was replaced on 50 minutes to a deserved warm applause from the Chiefs fans as they bid farewell to a firm favourite. 7

Discipline hurt Chiefs

5 Tupou Vaa’i: Struggled to impact the game with ball in hand as the Crusaders didn’t give an inch in the tight exchanges. Just the one carry was backed up by eight tackles as Vaa’i, like many of the Chiefs pack, were well shackled by the visiting defence. 5

4 Brodie Retallick: A typical nuisance at the breakdown, and with five carries and nine tackles, he put himself about in Hamilton. Going up against old mates Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock was inevitably a battle that was evenly matched, and Retallick couldn’t have done much more as his beloved Chiefs came up just short. 6

3 George Dyer: In a game that produced just five scrums, the props had to show a different kind of fitness on Saturday. Dyer made five tackles but was largely quiet around the field in an hour-long shift before being replaced. 5

2 Samisoni Taukei’aho: Leaked two early penalties for not rolling away but did manage to get himself into the game to make six carries for 19 metres. He no doubt would have wanted much higher numbers than that, but that’s credit to the Crusaders for stifling the impressive hooker. On the other side of the ball, he made an impressive 14 tackles. 7

1 Aidan Ross: Played 50 minutes before being replaced by Oli Norris, who made an impact late on. Ross made six tackles and three carries while impressing at ruck time. 6

Replacements: Samipeni Finau and Norris made an impact as the 50-minute substitutions. Cortez Ratima was also lively at scrum-half late on, as was Josh Ioane. 6

READ MORE: Crusaders player ratings: Departing stars spur Scott Robertson’s men to another title

Chiefs Emoni Narawa