Chiefs beat Brumbies to face another Super Rugby final
The Chiefs will travel to Christchurch to play the Crusaders in next weekend's Super Rugby final after beating the ACT Brumbies 37-17 to reach the title match for the third-straight year.
Winger Emoni Narawa scored two tries for the Chiefs, and Corey Toole scored a double for the Brumbies as each side scored three tries.
Chiefs flyhalf Damian McKenzie separated the teams, kicking six penalties and two conversions for 22 points to surpass 200 points for the season.
Fullback Josh Jacomb scored the Chiefs' third try in the 64th minute to establish a 20-point margin, and McKenzie's try-saving tackle on Tom Wright two minutes later snuffed out a potential Brumbies rally.
'The Brumbies came out of the blocks fast as we knew they would, and I just love the way we were really composed and stuck to our game,' McKenzie said.
ADVERTISEMENT
'We put the ball in front of our forwards, and our set piece was great tonight.'
The Brumbies were Australia's last hope in the playoffs as they attempted to win the Super Rugby title for the first time since 2004. Their defeat means Australian teams are now 0-21 in Super Rugby matches in New Zealand.
The Brumbies suffered a major blow when Wallabies fly-half Noah Lolesio failed a head injury assessment in the 11th minute.
The kicking game was integral to the Brumbies' plan, and while they used it to keep pressure on the Chiefs and to gain field position, Lolesio's early departure was a turning point.
The Brumbies had the Chiefs under defensive pressure for long periods in both halves but while hooker Billy Pollard opened the scoring with a try from a lineout drive in the 15th minute the Chiefs were later able to neutralise that threat.
Pollard's early try followed his double in the Brumbies' quarterfinal win over the Wellington-based Hurricanes. He finishes with 11 tries for the season, as does Toole, who scored his tries on either side of halftime.
Narawa scored his first try in the 20th minute, picking the ball up from the base of an attacking ruck and scything through the Brumbies' defence.
ADVERTISEMENT
Toole scored off a precise cross-kick from replacement fly-half Jack Debreczeni, who previously played for the Chiefs. But penalties to McKenzie gave the Chiefs a 19-12 lead at halftime.
Toole scored three minutes after the restart after a lone dash down the left-wing touch. The Brumbies were right in the match at that point, trailing 19-17.
But Narawa scored his second four minutes later to begin a run of 18 unanswered points by the Chiefs.
The Chiefs will now attempt to go one step further after losing in the final to the Crusaders and the Blues in each of the last two years.
They will attempt in Christchurch next Saturday to win their third Super Rugby title and first since 2013 which the Crusaders are seeking their 13th championship.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
Crusaders v Chiefs: Super Rugby Pacific final showdown in Christchurch one to watch
Braydon Ennor and his Crusaders teammates celebrate after beating the Blues on Friday. Photo / Photosport THE FACTS The Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday night, when the Crusaders host the Chiefs, should be a tremendously tense, exciting contest. I can fully understand why the TAB is offering exactly the same odds, of $1.90, for both teams. Few would have been predicting, before the 2025 season
Newsroom
an hour ago
- Newsroom
Mystic connection: Rookie steps up for her injured idol
If there's one player in world netball right now who Sophia Lafaiali'i looks up to, it's Australian Diamond Donnell Wallam. Up until now, she's always admired the strong, agile, sharp shooter from afar. 'I love watching her play – she's a beast, she's so strong. I'd watch her in the Australian league and think, 'Wow, how did you just do that?'' So when the 20-year-old criminology and business student from east Auckland was called up to replace Wallam in the champion Mystics side, the scenario felt almost surreal. Two weeks on, Lafaiali'i is still wrapping her head around it. Not just at making her ANZ Premiership debut for the Mystics, but in the place of her injured idol – who then yelled encouragement and advice to her from the bench. Lafaiali'i took the league by storm last weekend, starting and then playing at goal shoot for the full 60 minutes of the Mystics' clash with the Pulse. She missed just one of her 46 shots – and scored a buzzer-beater two-pointer – while under intense pressure from Silver Ferns defenders Kelly Jackson and Parris Mason. And her calm, confident performance helped the Mystics bounce back from their first loss of the season. She took it all in her stride: 'I didn't want to psych myself out knowing I was up against two amazing Silver Ferns. I treat it like, 'Hey, they're just defenders, so go out and play your own game'.' Just a fortnight earlier, Lafaiali'i was content playing for the Northern Marvels in the National Netball League, the tier below the premiership. Her season goal was to be the best shooter in that competition. Then came the call-up to the next level – after Wallam, who filled Grace Nweke's shoes in the Mystics' line-up this season, badly injured her hand falling out of court in the Mystics' one-goal win over the Steel. 'It's a bit freaky to be replacing Nelly [Wallam],' Lafaiali'i says. 'I really appreciate it, but at the same time, it's so far removed from what I thought would ever happen.' Lafaiali'i, a netballer since she started in west Auckland at the age of five, also grew up idolising Mystics shooters Maria Folau and Cathrine Tuivaiti, both of Samoan descent like her. 'I love seeing people who look like me, or are from the same culture, really own their space on the court,' she says. But what's been even more special for Lafaiali'i is the guidance she's now receiving from Wallam – the third Indigenous Australian to play for the Diamonds. 'She's been so awesome,' she says. 'She comes to training, still putting in the hard yards even though she can't play at the moment, and she's still finding time to help me with cues and little reminders,' she says. In her first appearance in the Mystics blue dress, coming off the bench during their 61-50 loss to the Tactix, Lafaiali'i received advice from Wallam on the bench. 'I love getting feedback, so I was looking to her to tell me things.' She played 15 minutes and scored seven of her eight attempts (she sets herself high standards of 90 percent accuracy each game). Sophia Lafaiali'i takes a one-handed catch in the Pulse v Mystics ANZ Premiership clash. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography Wallam still isn't ready to return to the court for Monday night's home game against the Magic, so Lafaiali'i will remain in the side. In fact, Mystics head coach Tia Winikerei says she's now with the team for the rest of the season. 'I want to keep her in so she can build on her experience looking to what's possible for her in 2026. She can grow so much from just being in this environment,' she says. Lafaiali'i's sudden promotion may have come as a shock, when other franchises have turned to retired players to fill in for injuries this season. 'We want to continue to work to the philosophy to build our own, train our own and make them better,' says Winikerei, who saw the young woman's potential a year ago. The former St Kentigern College student, in the school's premier netball side for four years, became a training partner for the Mystics at the end of last season. Then Winikerei and assistant coach Rob Wright invited her to join the team at the Otaki pre-season tournament in April. 'Sophia was developmentally brand new, but it turned out to be a great decision,' Winikerei says. 'She's very good with her hands, and takes the ball strongly and with finesse. She can shoot from anywhere. But most of all, she has a strong solid profile, yet she's very nimble on her feet and moves into spaces swiftly. 'Over the years, players who've come out of St Kentigern's have a lot to thank coach Nicola Lewis for. They've all been trained to have great footwork.' They include current ANZ Premiership players Tayla Earle, Carys Stythe, Amorangi Malesala and Tori Kolose. The Mystics have been affected by injury this season, but are still in the top three of the ANZ Premiership table. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography In only her second appearance for the Mystics, Lafaiali'i stayed on court for the full 60 minutes – surprising herself after making an early faux pas. 'I have this bad habit of catching with one hand – I don't know why it's become a habit – and maybe my third catch of the game, I dropped the ball,' she says. 'Straight away I thought, 'You're off, you're done'. 'All week it had been stressed in my training: 'Catch with two hands, Fia'. And I did exactly what they'd told me not to do. So I love that they had the confidence to keep me on. 'But I knew to just cherish whatever time I had on court and give it 100 percent while I was on there.' Winikerei laughs: 'All week at training, I told her 'God gave you two hands to catch with!' But she performed exceptionally well for a youngster; well beyond what I expected of her. 'We didn't put any pressure on her, and she demonstrated the ability to cope out there.' Both coach and shooter acknowledge the support wrapped around her – from senior players Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, Peta Toeava and Earle, as well as her goal attack, Filda Vui. 'Tayla and Peta worked the ball fabulously and tirelessly throughout the game so Sophia could shoot with confidence and calmness. They showed genuine trust in her ability,' Winikerei says. Vui, who leads the competition with 19 successful two-point shots, stepped up in the game. 'It was the first time I've seen Filda take the leadership role in the circle, when we really needed her to,' says Winikerei. Sophia Lafaiali'i is supported by her Mystics attacking team-mates, like Tayla Earle (left, with the ball). Photo: Michael Bradley Photography Few netballers will have the chance to be on the receiving end of a pinpoint long bomb or miraculous no-look pass from Toeava, and Lafaiali'i admits she's had her fan-girl moments on court. 'Sometimes it's a little bit scary,' Lafaiali'i laughs. 'And sometimes I get really excited when she passes to me – I'm like, 'Oh that's so pretty'; then I just have to remember where I am,' she laughs. 'But it's so cool to work with her because she sees the game in a totally different way. It's amazing to learn how her brain works. 'You can hear her on TV saying, 'Fia, stay!' She's already seen the play, four or five passes into the future, and knows where I need to be. So I'm learning to listen to her and trust her. And it's growing my understanding of how I should set up for any attacker or feeder.' Lafaiali'i is also getting language lessons from her team-mates. Proud of her Samoan heritage – she's from the villages of Falealupo, Sapunaoa and Vaiala – she'd like to speak the language fluently. 'Peta and Filda will speak to me in Samoan, and I'm like, 'Yep, just give me 10 seconds…okay, got it!'' she laughs. Off the court, she's studying business and marketing at AUT, and this year also picked up criminology. Her mum, Pacific education leader Tuiloma Gayle Lafaiali'i, also studied it, and as a kid, Lafaiali'i was always watching crime shows rather than the Disney channel. 'I believe you should study what you enjoy – because it's a lot of reading if you don't like it,' Lafaiali'i laughs. Now training has picked up to four or five times a week with the Mystics, she's been able to get extensions on assignments. On top of that, she also does social media for the Marvels. 'I feel like the NNL space should get more media because we're the feeder for these ANZ Premiership teams and if no one knows about us, how are you going to develop players?' she says. 'I started doing it last season, and it was amazing to see other NNL teams put a little more effort into their social media, and everyone started promoting their teams more.' Her goal for the year has shifted to securing an ANZ Premiership contract for next season. But she remains humble about the unexpected opportunities that have come her way. 'They could have looked elsewhere, so it's means a lot that they looked to me as the next player.'
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Challenging third day for Fox as Burns holds lead
Like many at the US Open in 2025, the third round was another challenging day for New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox. Fox shot a 3-over 73 for the second straight day, which left him at 8-over for the tournament. It did not take long for the renowned Oakmont Country Club to bite Fox, who had a double bogey at the third yesterday, following pars at the first two holes. The Canadian Open winner then showed a glimpse of his talent with birdies at four, five and six to get back to 4-over. His tee shot on the par-3 sixth, in particular, was exceptional, as he hit the ball to within a foot of the hole, but that was as good as it got for Fox, as he dropped a shot on the seventh then posted a second double bogey of the round at the par-4 ninth hole. He steadied on the back nine, dropping just one shot, when he bogeyed the 15th hole. Sam Burns moved closer to a major breakthrough as he held a one-shot lead over Australian Adam Scott, who turned back the clock to enter the mix, and J.J. Spaun after the third round of the US Open. Burns and Spaun took turns trading or sharing the lead for much of the day, but it was the former who finished in front with a one-under-par 69 that brought him to four under on the week at the major that is considered golf's toughest test. A five-time winner on the PGA Tour who lost to Fox in a playoff last week in Canada, Burns was inconsistent off the tee but managed to lean on other aspects of his game to move into the driver's seat at Oakmont. "When I got out of position I feel like I did a good job of getting myself back in the fairway, having a wedge or short iron in my hand and giving myself a chance for par," said Burns. "I was able to convert some of those and kind of kept the momentum going. So that was kind of key to the round today." Burns dropped into a three-way share of the lead with Spaun and Scott after missing a six-foot par putt at 16 but never wavered and delivered a bounce-back birdie at 17 after stuffing his approach seven inches from the hole for a tap-in birdie. Not to be outdone, playing partner Spaun birdied the same hole from 13 feet to end his string of 12 consecutive pars and grab a share of the lead before an errant tee shot at the last led to a closing bogey for a 69. Scott, the 2013 Masters champion who is playing his 96th consecutive major, missed several birdie putts but converted three on the back nine for 67, equalling the low round of the day and will play in Sunday's final pairing with Burns. For Scott, whose lone major came at the 2013 Masters, a win on Sunday would set the record for longest time between a player winning his first and second majors, something that is not lost on the 44-year-old Australian. "Everyone out here has got their journey, you know. Putting ourselves in these positions doesn't just happen by fluke. It's not easy to do it," said Scott. "If I were to come away with it tomorrow, it would be a hell of a round of golf and an exclamation point on my career." World number 14 Viktor Hovland (70) was alone in fourth place and three shots off the pace. LIV Golf's Carlos Ortiz was enjoying a rather stress-free trip around the notoriously treacherous Oakmont layout until a closing bogey but still signed for a 67 that left him at even par on the week and alone in fifth place. Fellow LIV player Tyrell Hatton (68) was a further shot back in sixth place with South African Thriston Lawrence (70).
