Tamaiti Williams could be next.
When the powerhouse prop missed last week’s semifinal victory, strong whispers emanated he had suffered a medial ligament injury that would likely rule him out of the All Blacks' three-test July series against France.
One week on, Williams has been named to start at loosehead for the Crusaders in the final.
Fletcher Newell’s return from injury has elevated the Crusaders scrum, one of their chief weapons, to another level – but Williams has set the tone all season.
Whether it’s at the set piece, playing huge minutes for a big man or barging over from close range, Williams has been a one-man wrecking ball.
Powered by their traditional midweek tomahawk steak front-row club dinner, set-piece dominance will be among the Crusaders’ priorities.
Williams will be a central figure – provided his knee holds up.
Two years ago, in his last season leading the Crusaders, Scott Robertson hailed Whitelock as a god-like immortal when he ignored the All Blacks’ directive for him to rest his problematic Achilles and sit out a seventh straight trophy run.
Much to the All Blacks’ frustrations, Whitelock then missed several tests as he recovered from the final.
The tables are now turned, with Robertson, now the All Blacks coach, sure to be nervously watching on as Williams clatters into hefty collisions.
The McKenzie factor:
Beauden Barrett upstaged Damian McKenzie as the Blues stunned the Chiefs in their qualifying final.
Last week, though, McKenzie responded with a brilliant performance that included a magnificent try-saving tackle and a 22-point haul.
There has long been an established belief that any side need a proven, influential, test-quality playmaker to guide their team to a championship.
The Crusaders, with their second choice first five-eighth Rivez Reihana entrusted to pull the strings, could dispel that theory this weekend.
But so, too, could McKenzie reinforce it by stepping up when the Chiefs need him most.
Last time in Christchurch, McKenzie sparked the Chiefs’ comeback from 19-3 down with a short-side switch-move try and a 20-point match haul that propelled his side to victory.
Throughout their team, the Chiefs boast more strike power, and therefore possess the ability to score more points, than the Crusaders.
Two weeks ago, the Chiefs were curiously conservative against the Blues – and it cost them.
In this big dance, McKenzie must be the man to ignite that strike power to force the Crusaders to break from their methodical, kick-heavy approach and into chasing scoreboard pressure.
Leading the Chiefs to another treasured crown would further reignite the No 10 debate for the All Blacks, too.
No-fear mentality:
Everyone knows the Crusaders’ 27-year, 31-0 finals record in Christchurch.
You only have to consider the All Blacks’ 50-test unbeaten run at Eden Park to appreciate the internal confidence derived from sustained success at one venue.
Blues coach Vern Cotter seized the right mentality last week, though, when he said the Crusaders will lose a home playoffs match one day.
The Blues arrived in Christchurch undaunted to steal the march on the locals, fashioning a 14-0 lead before discipline hurt the visitors as they conceded 21 unanswered points.
When the Chiefs say they have no fear of going to Christchurch, that’s not a manufactured, empty statement.
With three wins from their last five visits there, they mean it.
And having beaten the Crusaders in their last two contests (49-24 in Hamilton in February and 35-19 in Christchurch in May), and five of their last seven, that belief is far from misplaced.
Finals are different, sure. The Chiefs know that better than anyone, having lost two recent finals (2021 and 2023) to the Crusaders. Those results stick in the craw forever.
Despite being the most consistent team in the last three years, losing the last three finals has Clayton McMillan’s Chiefs tagged as nearly men.
The Chiefs can, though, take heart from the way the Blues rattled the Crusaders last week. Had it not been for a lopsided 16-9 penalty count, the Blues’ title defence would be alive.
The lesson for the Chiefs is to tread the delicate line between intent and aggression, on defence and at the breakdown, as the Crusaders feed off penalties and costly yellow cards to fuel their squeezing, suffocating style.
Oh, how the Chiefs would love to honour McMillan’s service, as he departs to lead Munster, with their first title since 2013 – the longest drought of any New Zealand Super team.
All Blacks trial:
While the collective trumps individual ambitions, this occasion sets the scene as an All Blacks trial for multiple fringe contenders.
The Crusaders have Sevu Reece, Christian Lio-Willie and David Havili potentially playing for their spots when the 35-strong New Zealand squad are announced at the Coastal rugby club in Taranaki on Monday.
Likewise, a hefty Chiefs contingent, including Emoni Narawa, Leroy Carter, Ollie Norris, Samipeni Finau and Quinn Tupaea, could force their way in or out of Robertson’s squad.
Barring further late injuries, Robertson and his selectors will have the majority of their squad locked in – but a final such as this is the closest comparison to the test arena.
With everything on the line, with magic and mistakes magnified, performances carry much more weight.
Just ask Wallace Sititi, after he stormed into the All Blacks with his head-turning effort for the Chiefs in last year’s semifinal.
Tupaea and Havili are the best example of a head-to-head battle with national implications – but the same could be true for opposing wings Reece and Carter and loose forwards Lio-Willie and Finau.
Ofa Tuʻungafasi’s absence following neck surgery also opens the door for Norris to prove he is ready for promotion by countering Newell’s scrummaging prowess.
Ultimate troll:
Someone please sneak a cowbell into Apollo Projects Stadium – just to stoke tensions and prove a point.
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.
