Rugby: Stripper scandal still haunts Chiefs, admits assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge

Chiefs assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge at training with the team. Photo / photosport.nz

The reputation of the Chiefs has been tarnished by last year's stripper scandal, says assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge, and the franchise remains committed to setting the record straight.

In the Chiefs' final media conference before their semifinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch tomorrow, Strawbridge appeared keen to attempt to create a siege mentality for his side, who are underdogs for the match at AMI Stadium due in large part to the fact they have had to travel all the way back from Cape Town this week.

The well-publicised stripper scandal, which occurred during an end-of-season party last year, created a backlash against the Chiefs and it was something that the franchise was still coming to terms with, Strawbridge said.

"Honestly, this year has been about looking inwardly," he said. "We understand how we're viewed in the country. I think we're a bunch of reasonable people but we've had to look inside ourselves and the family, and I mean the broader family, to galvanise ourselves."

Asked if the Chiefs were viewed differently following the events of July last year, Strawbridge said: "We are viewed differently. I've read all sorts of things and heard all sorts of things. It doesn't make us different. We're still the same reasonable people we've always been, I believe.

"We've had our challenges. We've had to look inside ourselves and understand the way we've been viewed and the way we want to portray ourselves. We've worked hard to try to make things better."

The odds are against the Chiefs from winning their third title after successes in 2012 and 2013 because of the travel following last weekend's quarter-final victory over the Stormers at Newlands, the form the Crusaders are in, and the home advantage for Scott Robertson's men.

But Strawbridge said the Chiefs had been written off before, only to surprise.

"Since 2012 no one has expected us to do the business so it's something we're used to. I understand the percentages... I can understand people's thoughts. We've done some reasonably special things in the last six years and this is another challenge.

"We feel on any given day we can compete with anybody and that's true from the very first meeting I went to in 2012 when Richard Kahui said 'we're going to win it this year'. I found that very confronting as a coach when he said that. It started a resolve and a belief in the organisation that's continued."