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- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific: Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham predicts physical battle with Chiefs
Chiefs v Brumbies Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 June FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Live blog updates on RNZ Not many people are giving the Brumbies a shot at tipping up the Chiefs on Saturday night, but then again, not many tipped the Blues last weekend either. Coach Stephen Larkham, who won two Super Rugby titles with the side in the early 2000s, was confident that perennially strong Australian side was ready to potentially pull off an upset in their do or die semifinal. "It's a big challenge going down there, obviously. We've played some big games in that stadium and the results haven't gone our way," said Larkham at the team's Auckland training base of Dilworth College, before reflecting on what was learned from the Blues' intense 20-19 victory last Saturday night. "The physical battle was there from both teams. (The Blues were) very dominant with their forwards, very heavy at the breakdown and I thought that worked pretty well. I mean, the biggest thing we take out of it is that we need to be physical this weekend. Then obviously there's things that we've been working on, throughout the season over the last couple of weeks and games, that we think have been going pretty well." One of those will be the ability to control territory, something the Brumbies excelled at in their win over the Blues at Eden Park back in round four. Larkham highlighted the kick strategy as a key one for his side in a game that may well follow the low-scoring template set in the Chiefs' last home game. Damian McKenzie is tackled by Brumbies Declan Meredith. Photo: Brett Phibbs / "We've got the conditions today, where the ground is a little bit muddy, and ball was very slippery in the rain. We're sort of expecting the same on the weekend…we've been working on our kick strategy for the whole year. It doesn't really change with the wet, we like to have variation. We like to have balance with our kicking game…that's really determined by where we are on the field." Larkham has named an unchanged match day squad from his side that beat the Hurricanes in their play-off on Saturday night. The inside back pairing of Ryan Lonergan and Noah Lolesio will be in charge of implementing the kicking plan, but the Brumbies do possess some serious firepower in the back in Tom Wright, Len Ikitau and Corey Toole. However, Larkham stressed that they all need to be given good ball in order to do anything, something the Brumbies have been very good at this season. "Our ability to hold the ball through ten phases and score tries is the best in the competition, and that comes from all the breakdown work. So we spent a lot of time on that this year and we certainly know that's going to be important this weekend," he said. "If you sort of look at just about every game in Super Rugby this year, it's gone down to the wire. Even when you've got first place playing last, it's come down to the wire as well. So we've spoken about that, that when you get into the finals, every team is fairly evenly matched, and it will come down to those little moments."
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
'It doesn't matter whether it's an inch or a mile' – Chiefs braced for Blues backlash
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Chiefs v Blues Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 7 May FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Live updates on RNZ Sport Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan isn't letting the defending champion Blues inclement form affect his judgement ahead of their play-off on Saturday night. McMillan, who will leave the Chiefs after the season ends to take up a contract with Irish province Munster, said that the Blues are not an easy team to prepare for. "They've got strengths across the park. They've got good pace, physical on defense. They don't give you much," McMillan said, reflecting on the Chiefs' two very contrasting wins over the Blues this season. "You just respect the opposition that's directly in front of you; they all bring different strengths to the table. They're the reigning champions and, and they've got quality littered throughout their team. So, we're not going to get anything for free." The Chiefs scored a physical yet ultimately comfortable 41-10 win over the Blues at Eden Park in round one. However, the return match five weeks later was one of the mist exciting games all year, with a missed conversion of a late Rieko Ioane try proving crucial in the 32-31 result. McMillan confirmed the surprise benching of Wallace Sititi is due to a slight injury picked up in their last game, against the Highlanders in Dunedin. It's meant that Simon Parker, Samipeni Finau and Luke Jacobson will be the starting loose forward trio, a group the McMillan has full faith in. Simon Parker. Photo: Aaron Gillions/ActionPress "(Sititi has) taken a limited part in training through the front end of the week and for a game of this magnitude, you need to have everybody firing on all cylinders. Wallace wasn't able to do that at the front end of the week. But also pretty pleased in some of those positions and don't feel like it's a backward step for anyone, guys that have been going at it all year and, this time it's Wallace's turn to come off the bench." McMillan described the 197cm, 117kg Parker's season so far as "immense" and hinted at higher honours for the 25-year-old flanker. "Probably one of our best and most consistent performers. And when you get to this point of the season, that's an opportunity. We keep hearing it from further up the food chain that this is where they want to see, players really shining under the spotlight of finals for the year." McMillan had a one word answer when asked if Parker was ready to make a step up to the All Blacks: "yup". The Chiefs are effectively playing for the right to host the final if they make it, a loss on Saturday would simply keep the Blues alive more than anything else. Even then a loss still means the Chiefs host a semi-final next weekend against presumably the Hurricanes or Brumbies, if results go that way. That home ground advantage will certainly be worth fighting for, though. The Chiefs have lost two finals in a row and will be aiming to send McMillan out on a high note. The coach dropped a quote from the Fast and the Furious to sum up how his side will approach the finals: "It doesn't matter whether it's an inch or a mile. Winning is winning."
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Savea v Sititi: clash of the titans
Chiefs v Moana Pasifika Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 24 May FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Live blog updates on RNZ Sport It feels appropriate that New Zealand's two most talked about players face off against each other this weekend, after a week when both have been creating headlines. Wallace Sititi, fresh off an earlier than expected return from injury and commitment to NZ Rugby and the Chiefs for the next two years. The comparisons to Sir Michael Jones are becoming more and more frequent, with Sititi's freakish abilities on both sides of the ball able to be showcased with even the briefest of appearances from the bench. Meanwhile, Ardie Savea is very much the present, named Super Rugby Pacific's player of the year thanks to a string of performances this season that are leaving even the most seasoned fans shaking their heads in disbelief. Savea's workrate at his new Moana Pasifika team has been incredible, not only lifting his own game but virtually all of his team mates. Sititi represents the future of the All Blacks, Savea has sparked conversations about how he is the best player in world, and now the two meet on the rugby field for the first time this season. Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi with the Bledisloe Cup after the All Blacks beat the Australian Wallabies at Accor Stadium in Sydney. 21 September 2024. Photo: Photosport / James Gourley If that all sounds like a heavyweight boxing buildup, it's because this is about the closest we can get regarding a Super Rugby Pacific match. Unlike the pugilistic environment though, both men were keen to talk each other up. "You can only wish to contain, I guess," said Sititi when asked how he would handle the challenge. "There's no stopping Ardie… whether I'm going to get to go up against him or playing with him, he's one of the best ever." Meanwhile, Savea kept his game face on and kept it short. "We're really good mates off the field. But I think once we cross the white line, game on." That's not to say that Savea isn't a big fan of Sititi, last year saying "he's been inspiring" when it was becoming apparent that the youngster was clearly on the road to stardom. "He's come into (the All Blacks) with so much calmness and even wisdom…he's inspiring me with the way he walks and plays," Savea said in Sydney before the year's first Bledisloe Cup test. Chiefs forward Wallace Sititi in action during their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final against the Hurricanes. Photo: photosport Of course, this is one battle inside a very important game for both the Chiefs and Moana. A win for the home team will send them back up to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, while if Moana can pull the upset, it'll guarantee them of a first ever play-off spot. It'll also mean that Tana Umaga's side would've beaten every NZ Super Rugby team, a feat that would've been labelled unthinkable before this season began. "It hasn't been talked about much," said Savea about the potential milestone. "With this team, it doesn't matter how we win. I've been part of teams where when you win, it feels like a loss. We're here, we're grateful and we're blessed so every win is special."
