NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupƍ
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikƍura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupƍ & TĆ«rangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • ManawatĆ« - Whanganui
    • All ManawatĆ« - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • ManawatĆ«
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikƍura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / Super Rugby

Rugby: Chiefs open a new era

Gregor Paul
By Gregor Paul
Reporter·Herald on Sunday·
4 Aug, 2012 05:30 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Tim Nanai-Williams scores last night's first try in the Super Rugby final. Photo / Getty Images

Tim Nanai-Williams scores last night's first try in the Super Rugby final. Photo / Getty Images

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Chiefs 37
Sharks 6

As sporting fairytales go, the Chiefs as 2012 Super Rugby champions is right up there. Their transformation from conference easy beats to title holders in the space of 12 months should really raise suspicion were it not for the fact they owe everything to hard work, commitment, bravery, simplicity and an enormous amount of creative talent from both players and coaching staff. Dave Rennie ... where have you been all the Chiefs' life?

They are worthy champions and probably more than that: they have the look of a side ready to build a dynasty. The foundations are rock solid.

Every part of their game has held up under the most intense scrutiny all season and especially last night.

"They are a great bunch," said Rennie. "They worked so hard and earned the respect. There was a lot of talk about how tough it was goinfg to be for them but we knew they would front. They were forced to make a lot of tackles in the first half and it took its toll in the second."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Sharks, a million bad air miles in their legs, gave all they had and it never once looked like being enough.

There was always a sense of them doing what they could to hold on, rather than harbouring serious ambitions about winning. The visitors couldn't get their hands on the ball for any length of time and their kicking game wasn't good enough to tie the Chiefs down and keep them boxed into corners.

Resilience and adaptability have been key themes of the Chiefs' season so it was no surprise to see them to the fore last night. When the Sharks were able to be disruptive around the ruck fringes in the first half, the Chiefs came out in the second better equipped to deal with the pressure.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Worried about the Sharks' ability in the middle of the lineout, the Chiefs frequently threw low and flat to the front. They were always one step ahead.

It's tough to retain belief when the opposition are able to cope and adapt so effortlessly. It was also horribly tough on the Sharks that they had to pay for a split second of poor concentration. An attacking scrum for the Chiefs after a Craig Clarke chargedown raised a number of attacking possibilities.

The Sharks' back-row stayed attached to the scrum allowing Kane Thomson to pick up and scamper over the sticks.

That score shut the coffin lid and Lelia Masaga's intercept and runaway try on 60 minutes hammered the nails in. There was no way back for the Sharks from there - 27-6 down was a mountain they were never going to climb.

Discover more

Super Rugby

Rugby: Why the Chiefs should beat the Sharks

03 Aug 05:22 AM
All Blacks

Rugby: Selectors face a trim for tighter Rugby Championship squad

03 Aug 05:30 PM
Super Rugby

Rugby: Sharks pit youngsters against SBW

03 Aug 05:30 PM
Super Rugby

Rugby: Tawera bucks Tasman drift

03 Aug 05:30 PM

Even the sceptics - those who have sat through 16 years of underachievement and dismal failure, would have been able to see this was entirely different. This new version of the Chiefs is built from entirely different stuff to their predecessors and even before Masaga crossed, the Chiefs looked comfortable without always being convincing.

The scoreboard didn't rattle along at the pace everyone in Hamilton would have liked and yet nor did it feel that there was ever going to be any other outcome than a Chiefs' win.

The Chiefs, despite their inexperience and the heavy expectation - always a bad combination - didn't bother going through a nervous first 10 minutes. They skipped that bit and just got on with controlling possession and territory. There were issues in getting the ball away from the breakdown for most of the first half. Tawera Kerr-Barlow was left exposed too often and the Chiefs weren't able to flow and nor were they able to bring Sonny Bill Williams into the first half. The big man has been at his best this season bashing on to short passes and owning the gainline. The Sharks came off the line looking for him which is why the responsibility to take the ball forward and into space fell to the likes of Andrew Horrell and Robbie Robinson.

They didn't flinch and those two are precisely what the Chiefs have been all about this year: the previously ordinary becoming extraordinary. No one, other than the Chiefs, picked that Horrell could not only play at this level, but thrive. Robinson, an erratic and unconvincing footballer at the Highlanders, has been Mr Composure for the Chiefs.

He sucked up everything at the back and ran it forward, taking his side forward: always making sure that the big men didn't have to haul themselves back and begin to have doubts.

And that's the thing with the Chiefs now: the doubts have gone. They are the real deal. They are the future. They are the champions.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Chiefs 37 (T. Nanai-Williams, K. Thomson, L. Masaga, S. Williams tries; A. Cruden 3 pens, 4 cons) Sharks 6 (F. Michalak 2 pens).

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Super Rugby

Premium
Business|companies

Whānau Ora funds probe: Pasifika Futures’ family ties questioned

03 Jul 05:00 PM
Super Rugby

Moana Pasifika’s owners 'strongly reject' misuse of public funding claims amid probe

28 Jun 04:55 AM
Super Rugby

'So much life in me': Hurricanes player's partner has 'rare and aggressive' cancer

27 Jun 12:25 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Super Rugby

Premium
Whānau Ora funds probe: Pasifika Futures’ family ties questioned

Whānau Ora funds probe: Pasifika Futures’ family ties questioned

03 Jul 05:00 PM

Pasifika Futures hired Ah Mau Sports, owned by the CEO's daughter and son-in-law.

Moana Pasifika’s owners 'strongly reject' misuse of public funding claims amid probe

Moana Pasifika’s owners 'strongly reject' misuse of public funding claims amid probe

28 Jun 04:55 AM
'So much life in me': Hurricanes player's partner has 'rare and aggressive' cancer

'So much life in me': Hurricanes player's partner has 'rare and aggressive' cancer

27 Jun 12:25 AM
Super Rugby Pacific sees viewership increase

Super Rugby Pacific sees viewership increase

25 Jun 08:25 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP