KEY POINTS:
This Friday will have a familiar feel to it for the Chiefs - just another game where victory is the only option.
Of all the six Super 14 semifinal contenders, theirs is the most daunting challenge, beating the defending champion Crusaders in Christchurch this Friday night.
And they
are likely to treat it just as they have the past seven weeks of rugby, when by applying the one-off theory - imagining each match as a playoff - they have won six to thrust themselves into the playoff mix.
Friday's 28-23 win over the Waratahs in Sydney wasn't their finest of the campaign. There were impressive pockets but the overriding aspect was about getting the right result.
They did, and lie fifth on the table. The Chiefs could find themselves second or seventh next Sunday morning, such is the closeness of the contenders.
When the Chiefs lost their first four matches, there were dire mutterings about what the rest of the campaign might hold. The players insist they never lost their self-belief and the results provide eloquent support for their view.
"Over the last 6-7 weeks the situation hasn't changed much for us. Every week we've had to front up and win a must-win game," coach Ian Foster said. "That has its advantages. You can develop a mental toughness through that. I'm pretty pleased with where we're at."
There are a variety of permutations possible this week, and that's the way it should be coming to the clutch weekend.
The Crusaders, Sharks, Blues and Bulls are the best-placed semifinal contenders; the Chiefs could get a five-point win in Christchurch and still miss the playoffs.
The only team sure of a spot in the last four are the Crusaders, but even they face the possibility of an away semi, depending on other results. Indeed, as they watched the Brumbies edge their way to a tough 15-6 win over the Crusaders in Canberra, the Chiefs may have figured that result did them no favours.
The Crusaders have not lost a home Super rugby match since February 27, 2004, when the Blues beat them. That's 26 games, but the Chiefs will figure this week is as good a time as any to end that run.
It's the sort of match players and coaches relish, a big stage and plenty at stake. With All Black fullback Mils Muliaina having made a satisfying return from injury and others including flanker Liam Messam - scorer of a fine try and a contributor to the winner by Tane Tu'ipulotu just before the end - in rich form, the Chiefs will head south in good heart.
"I don't think anyone in this team will have a problem getting up to play the Crusaders in Christchurch. No issues there," captain Jono Gibbes said.
The main injury concern out of the Waratahs' win revolves round second five-eighth Tasesa Lavea, who picked up an ankle problem in the second half. An assessment was being made yesterday.
