Rugby-Chiefs can win Super Rugby Pacific title in future, says departing coach McMillan
(Reuters) -Departing Waikato Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said the team could claim a future Super Rugby Pacific title despite losing in the final for the third season in a row with Saturday's 16-12 defeat by the Canterbury Crusaders.
McMillan, who has been in charge for all three final losses, is leaving to take over as head coach of Irish side Munster but retains confidence in the players to one day deliver success.
"The consistency of our performances have been something to really relish," McMillan said. "I love these men and I know how hard they work and I'm confident that in the near future, they'll get across the line.
"The wheels are going to keep ticking over and we've got bloody good people in the organisation and, who knows, maybe a change of head coach might be what's needed to get the job done."
The loss in the final in Christchurch was the second in three seasons to the Crusaders for McMillan and his team, who were defeated in the 2024 edition by the Auckland Blues.
Saturday's defeat was by the narrowest margin of the three, with only four points separating the teams at the end of a tense encounter, in which Rivez Reihana kicked 11 points for the Crusaders.
"Everyone knows we have been to the final dance a number of times and not got the job done, but I'm at peace," McMillan said. "The disappointment will linger, but we can't change anything. It's done now.
"The reflection will be about remembering all the good stuff that happened. But I know that we are a tight group who feel the disappointment, who have ridden the highs.
"We will bounce back. The sun will rise in the morning, I think, here tomorrow, and life will continue.
"People probably don't realise how tough it is to just get to a final, and even tougher when you've been to a number and you haven't quite got the job done."
(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by William Mallard)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Tennis-Vondrousova battles past qualifier Wang to win Berlin Open final
Tennis - Berlin Tennis Open - Steffi Graf Stadium, Berlin, Germany - June 22, 2025 Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova in action during her final match against China's Xinyu Wang REUTERS/Annegret Hilse BERLIN (Reuters) -Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova needed three sets to subdue Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu on Sunday and win the Berlin Open title, completing an improbable run to her first trophy since her London triumph two years ago. The 25-year-old Czech, ranked 164th in the world after an injury-plagued 12 months and featuring in her first final since winning Wimbledon two years ago, saved six setpoints in a tight first set tiebreak. The 23-year-old Wang showed few nerves on her maiden singles tour final, and levelled after breaking her opponent once in the second set. But Vondrousova, who also beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the first round and world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-final in Berlin, raced back with two breaks of her own to go 4-1 up in the decider. She then played a perfect service game at 5-2, with a superb dropshot, a crosscourt backhand winner and powerful forehand that forced an error by Wang on matchpoint number one. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Giles Elgood)
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Rugby-Chiefs can win Super Rugby Pacific title in future, says departing coach McMillan
(Reuters) -Departing Waikato Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said the team could claim a future Super Rugby Pacific title despite losing in the final for the third season in a row with Saturday's 16-12 defeat by the Canterbury Crusaders. McMillan, who has been in charge for all three final losses, is leaving to take over as head coach of Irish side Munster but retains confidence in the players to one day deliver success. "The consistency of our performances have been something to really relish," McMillan said. "I love these men and I know how hard they work and I'm confident that in the near future, they'll get across the line. "The wheels are going to keep ticking over and we've got bloody good people in the organisation and, who knows, maybe a change of head coach might be what's needed to get the job done." The loss in the final in Christchurch was the second in three seasons to the Crusaders for McMillan and his team, who were defeated in the 2024 edition by the Auckland Blues. Saturday's defeat was by the narrowest margin of the three, with only four points separating the teams at the end of a tense encounter, in which Rivez Reihana kicked 11 points for the Crusaders. "Everyone knows we have been to the final dance a number of times and not got the job done, but I'm at peace," McMillan said. "The disappointment will linger, but we can't change anything. It's done now. "The reflection will be about remembering all the good stuff that happened. But I know that we are a tight group who feel the disappointment, who have ridden the highs. "We will bounce back. The sun will rise in the morning, I think, here tomorrow, and life will continue. "People probably don't realise how tough it is to just get to a final, and even tougher when you've been to a number and you haven't quite got the job done." (Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by William Mallard)
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Rugby-Super Rugby winner Penney tight-lipped on Crusaders coaching future
(Reuters) -Canterbury Crusaders coach Rob Penney refused to be drawn on his future at the team's helm after leading his side to the Super Rugby Pacific title with victory over the Waikato Chiefs on Saturday. Penney's side sealed a 16-12 win in a tense clash in Christchurch to earn the Crusaders a record-extending 15th Super Rugby title, but the 61-year-old gave no indication whether he would return for a third season in charge. "Not just yet," said Penney told a press conference after Saturday's match, when asked if he had made a decision on his future. "You wouldn't want to work anywhere else. I'm never going to work anywhere else in the industry. I'll just take time to see what falls out of the (end of season) review." The Crusaders' Super Rugby title win marked a significant turnaround after the struggles of 2024, when the team missed out on the playoffs at the end of Penney's first season in charge. Despite that failure, management decided to stick by the former New South Wales Waratahs coach and Penney delivered, with the Crusaders finishing second in the regular season standings behind the Chiefs. His side then went on to extend their remarkable run of success on home soil, winning a 32nd consecutive playoff match in Christchurch to reclaim the trophy once more. "Winning's fantastic," said Penney. "Last year we had some hiccups and some things that didn't go well for us. This year we've been on the other side of the ledger. "We've had some calls that have gone for us and we've had some injured boys available a lot. Small margins. At the business end the right people know how to do the right things and that was evident today. "There's some people here that were contributing today that are going to be here for a long time, and it's just exciting what the future holds." (Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by William Mallard)
