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Blues, Chiefs aim to end title droughts in Super Rugby Pacific final

Blues, Chiefs Aim to End Title Droughts in Super Rugby Pacific Final
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Auckland-based Blues will attempt to win their first title in 21 years when they host the Hamilton-based Chiefs on Saturday in the all-New Zealand final of Super Rugby Pacific.
The Blues haven’t won a full Super Rugby title since 2003. They claimed a pandemic-era title in a tournament restricted only to New Zealand teams in 2021, but this final is their chance to end a long and bitter drought.
The Chiefs, in turn, will attempt to win the title for the first time in 11 years. They won the tournament in 2012 and 2013 under Dave Rennie, who went on to coach the Wallabies.
The Chiefs reached last year’s final and were beaten 25-20 by the Crusaders in a match decided in the final minutes.
Flyhalf Damian McKenzie, who has been a key figure in the Chiefs’ progress to the final — a certainty in the first All Blacks team of the year, which will be named on Monday — believes last year’s loss will motivate the Chiefs on Saturday.
“My memories? Well, we lost,” McKenzie said. “Other than that, we had our opportunities but didn’t quite nail them.
“I think it was probably a good learning experience for us heading into this year. Now we know what it takes, and we have to nail every moment we can. We were definitely using that as a driver heading into this season and these finals.”
The Chiefs come into the final in top form after convincing wins over the Queensland Reds and the top-ranked Hurricanes in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The win over the Hurricanes in Wellington was particularly impressive and perhaps a blueprint for Saturday’s match.
At the same time, the Blues are unbeaten in their last 15 matches at Eden Park, where Saturday’s match will be played. They finished the regular season in second place, while the Chiefs finished fourth, and they will be buoyed by the return from injury of their captain Patrick Tuipulotu.
Tuipulotu was expected to be sidelined for some time by a knee injury suffered in the Blues’ quarterfinal against the Fijian Drua. He was expected to miss the rest of the season but has made a massive effort to be fit on Saturday.
“Patty’s a Blues man through and through and came to us this week pretty keen to play in a grand final,” Blues coach Vern Cotter said. “He tested the knee on Monday in the gym, then on the grass.
“He’s pulled up well and has the all-clear from our medical team. He’s a welcome addition to our pack, our talisman lock and leader.”
The Chiefs will be without All Blacks hooker Samisoni Taukeiaho, who suffered an ankle injury in last weekend’s semifinal. Lock Naitoa Ah-Kuoi is also sidelined with injury.
Hooker Tyrone Thompson and lock Manaaki Selby-Rickit have been added to the Chiefs’ lineup, and hooker Bradley Slater has been cleared after failing a head injury assessment last weekend. Fullback Shaun Stevenson returns after missing the semifinal.
Cotter has brought a new edge to the Blues this season, a hardness up front which has been missing in the past.
Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan has worked alongside Cotter and knows his strengths.
“I think it’s the blue eyes. When they give you that stare, you don’t have to say too much, you just know you’ve either done something good or something bad, and whichever one you interpret, you probably need to make a few shifts,” McMillan said.
“He knows what he wants to get from a rugby player and rugby team. He doesn’t mince his words, and you know where you stand with him.”
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

NEXT: Spalletti acknowledges Italy was outclassed by Spain in one-sided heavyweight matchup at Euro 2024

Spalletti Acknowledges Italy Was Outclassed by Spain in One-Sided Heavyweight Matchup at Euro 2024 GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Italy coach Luciano Spalletti could not be clearer: Play like they did against Spain, and his players will not retain the European Championship. “They caused us problems beyond what the scoreline suggests, and we can’t beat around the bush on that,” Spalletti said after his team’s 1-0 loss to the dominant Spanish on Thursday. It was billed as the first heavyweight matchup of Euro 2024, but there was a huge difference in quality, as Spalletti pointed out. “There was too much of a gulf in terms of sharpness and freshness,” he said, adding, “We were never in the game.” Spalletti is attempting to change Italy’s playing style by pushing his players to control games more and dominate possession, rather than rely on the defensive strength that has characterized the best Italy teams over the years. He isn’t ready to give up on that. “Everyone would love to copy Spain,” Spalletti said. “They have played the best football for the longest time. I need to make my players aware of how important this match is because it becomes very challenging if you just sit deep. “You have to overhaul the concept and mentality of the team and just chase after the ball and cede it to them. But I don’t want to play like that. I don’t know how to coach that way. I’m the least-suited person to do that, so you need to play the ball and keep possession. And try to get hold of the game and take it by the scruff of the neck. That’s the only way.” Spalletti partially blamed himself for the loss, which came five days after Italy’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Albania in Group B. “Maybe I needed to give them more rest,” he said. “Probably more days off because we gave them a day and a half off and thought that was the right decision after looking at the GPS data, but there was too much of a gulf. We were constantly stretched and never able to squeeze the gaps.” ___ AP Euro 2024:

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