Rugby: Battered Chiefs promise fireworks

Chiefs prop Ben May is helped from the field after injuring his knee on Friday night. Photo / Getty Images

Seconds out; round two. Just 14 days after they first faced off at Waikato Stadium, the Chiefs and the Hurricanes will meet again in Hamilton. This time the prize on offer is a place in the Super 14 final.

The Chiefs may have taken round one to earn home advantage for the rematch, but the fallout from the weekend's matches in which the Chiefs were pushed to the limit in subduing the Brumbies while the Canes coasted against the Reds in Brisbane may just have tipped the scales in the visiting team's favour.

Ben May, the huge prop who anchors the Chiefs' scrum, is out for an extended period with a serious knee injury.

All Black halfback Brendon Leonard is also gone for the remainder of the campaign after his comeback from a sternum injury ended when his hamstring tore late on Friday night.

After two weeks slogging away in the Waikato wet, such attrition was to be expected.

"The year's championship has been so tight that everyone has had to go out there and put their body on the line in every game to get what they wanted to out of it," Chiefs coach Ian Foster said.

"We were mentally drained after the Brumbies match but I think that was because the game disintegrated into a bit of slug-fest."

The Hurricanes, by comparison, enjoyed a nice run out on a dry Queensland night and emerged completely unscathed from their rout of the lowly Reds. Substituted prop Neemia Tialata's injury proved to be no more than cramp. The only player unavailable for the semifinal is reserve hooker Dane Coles, whose season ended some time ago with a high ankle sprain.

Key centre Richard Kahui was a late scratching for the Chiefs on Friday night after his bruised calf seized up late in the week. Foster said he was "perplexed" and a specialist would re-examine Kahui today.

May's injury means a call-up for little-seen prop Joe Savage. The Bay of Plenty rookie has suited up just once this season, for a brief bench appearance against the Force in round four.

"He has been with us the whole time and is jumping out of his skin - he'll be ready," Foster said.

"We made a theme of it this year in trying to ensure that the next guys who come in fit in and can do a job. We are not going to be worrying on Friday about who's not there."

But May's loss will be keenly felt. The Tasman product has switched from tighthead to loosehead with ease this season, helping Foster keep his props fresh and adopt a horses-for-courses approach. His injury will be further assessed today but indications suggest a cruciate ligament tear, which would end his season.

"It is gut-wrenching for him," Foster said. "He put a lot of effort into getting us where we've got and I know he is really disappointed.

"But we've just got to press forward and make sure that his effort hasn't gone to waste."

Home advantage wouldn't be a decisive factor but, after two rushed weeks since the Chiefs returned from South Africa, it was certainly beneficial, Foster said.

"It just enables us to be a bit calmer and a bit more settled this week and I think that is important. I don't think it gives us an advantage at kick-off time but it gives us a huge advantage in preparation time.

Foster was in euphoric mood after his guiding his side to the semifinals for the first time since 2004, his first year in charge of the team. But he quickly kept a lid on the celebrations

"We don't want to waste an opportunity by celebrating now, we haven't got what we want yet."

The pre-match fireworks were the first victim of Friday night's downpour in Hamilton. Just one went off, the rest presumably drowned.

But with so much at stake and grudges rolled over from the first encounter still to be settled, Friday's rematch won't lack for a spark.

Said Foster: "There's a formula for quite an explosive night."