Chiefs (rugby union)

The Chiefs (formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs and officially called the Gallagher Chiefs for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. The team competes in the Super Rugby competition, previously known as the Super 12 and Super 14, and are one of the competition's five New Zealand teams. Their primary home ground is Waikato Stadium.

This article is about the Super Rugby team. For the English team, see Exeter Chiefs.

Chiefs
UnionNew Zealand Rugby Union
Founded1996
LocationHamilton, New Zealand
RegionBay of Plenty
Counties Manukau
King Country
Thames Valley
Waikato
Taranaki
Ground(s)Waikato Stadium (Capacity: 26,000)
Director of RugbyWarren Gatland
Coach(es)Clayton McMillan
Captain(s)Sam Cane
Brad Weber
Most capsLiam Messam (182)
Top scorerDamian McKenzie (882)
League(s)Super Rugby
2021Super Rugby Aotearoa
2nd (Runners-up)
Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
5th
Team kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.chiefs.co.nz

Until 2004, the Chiefs were the only New Zealand side never to have qualified for the Super 12 semi-finals. In that year the Chiefs earned their first semi-final berth, and in the end achieved fourth place (defeated 37–20 in the semi-final by the ACT Brumbies). They subsequently reached the 2009 final, but found themselves on the short end of a record 61–17 defeat by the Bulls.

The Chiefs were rewarded with a home final after a strong 2012 season. The Chiefs defeated the Sharks 37–6, winning their first title. In 2013, the Chiefs became the fourth team to record back-to-back title wins, when they defeated the Brumbies 27–22 at Waikato Stadium.

History

The Chiefs were founded in 1996 as the Waikato Chiefs for the inaugural Super 12 season in 1996. Prior to the Super 12, the Super 10 competition had been in place, which NPC teams took part in, including Waikato. In the first year of competition the Chiefs placed 6th in the overall standings, missing out on making the finals; winning 6 of their 11 regular season matches. The following season the Chiefs placed 11th, winning 4 games and losing 7. In 1998 the Chiefs performed closer to the standard of their 1996 season and placed at 7th in the final standings. In 1999 the side were able to do one better and claimed 6th position on the ladder but were still yet to make the playoffs.

In 2000 the Chiefs won 3 of their regular season games and finished the regular season in 10th place. The following season the team equalled their best position again – finishing 6th. In 2002 the team won 4 games and lost 7 to finish in 8th position, and the season after, 2003 Super 12 season, fell to a 10th-place finish. But the season after, the Chiefs won 7 regular season games and came 4th on the ladder – claiming the first semi-final spot in their history. The Chiefs lost the semi-final against the Brumbies. In 2005 the team finished 6th. In 2006, the Super 12 expanded to the Super 14, with the addition of a new Australian and South African club. The Chiefs won 7 of their 13 games and drew once with 5 losses to come 7th. In 2009, the Chiefs made their second ever semi-final, defeating the Hurricanes 14 – 10 to advance to the final for the first time. They lost the final to the Bulls by the biggest-ever margin of 61–17. In the 2010 and 2011 seasons, they were unable to replicate their form of 2009, missing the playoffs in both seasons.

In 2012, following the disappointing results of previous years, the Chiefs underwent a significant change in personnel. This included the recruitment of new coaches, including Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith, and players, including Aaron Cruden, Ben Tameifuna, Brodie Retallick and Sonny Bill Williams. The changes had an immediate impact as the Chiefs finished at the top of the New Zealand conference, qualifying for a home semi-final, which they won, defeating the Crusaders 20–17. They subsequently hosted the final for the first time in the teams's history, comprehensively defeating the Sharks by 37 – 6, claiming their first title. They also set many club records in the 2012 season, including: most home wins, best home streak, best season winning streak, and most points and tries scored.[1]

In 2013, the Chiefs again won the Super Rugby title and the New Zealand conference with a regular-season record of 12 wins and four losses. They also won the BNZ Cup, a new trophy established by the NZRU for the New Zealand side with the best record in intra-conference matches.

In 2016 the Chiefs played a touring Wales side, winning the one-off encounter 40-7. In doing so they became the first New Zealand Super Rugby franchise to defeat an international team.[2]

In 2017 the Chiefs played the British and Irish Lions side in Hamilton, losing the encounter 34-6. In the regular season, they finished 3rd in the NZ conference and 6th overall, putting them through to the play offs. They won a thriller quarter final against the Stormers in Cape Town (17-11) but lost in the semi finals to the Crusaders (27-13)

In 2018 the Chiefs finished 3rd in the NZ conference and 5th overall. This result put them through to the quarter finals, in which they lost a tight battle against the Hurricanes (32-31)

The Chiefs didn't have a great start to the 2019 season, losing 4 games straight of the bat, including a loss to the Sunwolves (30-15). However, the Chiefs redeemed themselves by defeating the Bulls 56-20 and going on to win more. They ended up finishing 3rd in the NZ conference and 7th overall, which put them through to the quarter finals. However, the Chiefs would lose to the Jaguares 21-16 in Buenos Aires

After 7 rounds in 2020, the Chiefs were 3rd in the NZ conference and 5th overall. However, the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the 2020 Super Rugby season from going ahead, for travel and health reasons. Despite this, NZRU created a domestic Super Rugby tournament called Super Rugby Aotearoa, which started in June 2020. The Chiefs played well but didn't win a single game in Super Rugby Aotearoa 2020.

The Chiefs lost their first 2 games of Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2021, and then got their first win in the competition against the Hurricanes (35-29) and now the Chiefs are currently on a 5 game win streak, defeating the Blues (15-12), Highlanders (26-23), Crusaders (26-25) and Hurricanes (26-24) and have qualified for the final against the Crusaders.

Franchise area and ownership

Franchise area

Since 1999, the Chiefs have represented the provincial unions of Bay of Plenty, Counties Manukau, King Country, Taranaki, Thames Valley and Waikato.

From 1996 to 1998 the Chiefs also represented North Harbour and Northland, with Counties Manukau and Thames Valley falling under the Auckland Blues catchment. Had the Blues been allowed to represent the Auckland, North Harbour, Counties Manukau and Northland unions, they would have been able to field almost a full national team due to player contracting rules at the time. In an effort by the NZRU to make things more fair, the Chiefs were given North Harbour and Northland, while the Blues were given Counties Manukau and Thames Valley. By 1999, clear regional dominance of national team players no longer existed, so North Harbour and Northland were 'returned' to the Blues in exchange for Counties Manukau and Thames Valley.

Taranaki was originally part of the Hurricanes from 1996, but switched to the Chiefs in 2013.[3]

Ownership

The Chiefs are a wholly owned subsidiary of the NZRU. However, in an effort to bring more capital into the sport, the NZRU established a system of privatised operation in 2013. In 2014, it was announced that a new entity, 'Chiefs Rugby Club Limited Partnership', had been established, with the NZRU granting the newly formed company a seven-year licence, until the end of the 2020 season, to operate the club. Chiefs Rugby Club itself is 50% owned by the provincial unions within the Chiefs' catchment and 50% by a group of private investors .[4] As part of the Taranaki Rugby Union's investment, the Chiefs will hold two matches per year at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth.

Grounds
Hamilton New Plymouth Rotorua Pukekohe Mount Maunganui
Waikato Stadium Yarrow Stadium Rotorua Int'l Stadium Navigation Homes Stadium ASB Baypark Stadium
Capacity: 26,000 Capacity: 26,000 Capacity: 26,000 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 19,800

Development team

The Chiefs have fielded a development team in competitions such as the Pacific Rugby Cup and in matches against other representative teams for several seasons. Known as the Chiefs Development XV, the squad is selected from the best emerging rugby talent in the Chiefs catchment area and is composed of Chiefs contracted players, wider training group members, under 20s, and selected club players.[5][6]

Records and achievements

Super Rugby placings
Super Rugby Results
YearPlayedWinDrawLossPFPADiffBPPointsPlacePlayoffs
1996 11605291269+224286th
1997 11407272295−2331911th
1998 11605279291−125297th
1999 11506248301−536266th
2000 11308257352−9582010th
2001 11605301330−294286th
2002 11407323341−188248th
2003 11209257274−1791710th
2004 11704274251+235334thLost semi-final to Brumbies
2005 11515272250+226286th
2006 13715325298+276367th
2007 13715373321+5210406th
2008 13706348349−16347th
2009 13904338236+1029452ndLost final to Bulls
2010 13418340418−7882611th
2011 16619332348−1644010th
2012 161204444358+868641stDefeated Sharks in final
2013 161204458364+9410661stDefeated Brumbies in final
2014 16826384378+68445thLost qualifier to Brumbies
2015 161006372299+738485thLost qualifier to Highlanders
2016 151104491341+1507516thLost semifinal to Hurricanes
2017 151212433292+1417516thLost semifinal to Crusaders
2018 161105463368+955495thLost quarterfinal to Hurricanes
2019 16727451465−144367thLost quarterfinal to Jaguares

Results per opposition

Chiefs Super Rugby results vs different opponents

Super Rugby
Opposition Span Played Won Drawn Lost Win%
Blues1996–2021392211656.4%
Crusaders1996–2021431702639.5%
Highlanders1996–2022402211755.0%
Hurricanes1996–2021411822143.9%
Brumbies1996–2021281211542.9%
Force2006–202112100283.3%
Rebels2011–2021870187.5%
Reds1996–2021251401156.0%
Waratahs1996–2021251201348.0%
Bulls1996–201923132856.5%
Cheetahs1997–20171173163.6%
Lions1996–201820130765.0%
Sharks1996–2019231201152.1%
Southern Kings2013–20162200100.0%
Stormers1996–2019221201054.5%
Jaguares2016–2019420250.0%
Sunwolves2017–2020430175.0%
Overall1996–20223722001016253.8%
Updated to: 2 May 2022

Honours

Super Rugby (1996–present)
  • Champions (2)

2012, 2013

  • Runners-up (1)

2009

  • Playoffs Appearances (8)

2004, 2009 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

  • New Zealand Conference Champions (2)

2012, 2013

  • BNZ Cup Winner (2)

2013, 2014

Brisbane Global Tens
  • Champions (1)

2017

Current squad
For player movements before and during the 2022 season, see List of 2021–22 Super Rugby transfers (New Zealand) § Chiefs.

The squad for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season is:[7][lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4]

Chiefs Super Rugby squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Halfbacks (Scrum-halves)

First Five-Eighths (Fly-halves)

Midfielders (Centres)

Outside Backs

(cc) Denotes team co-captains, Bold denotes internationally capped, WTS denotes a wider training squad player, ST denotes a short-term signing, denotes a player ruled out for the season with injury.
  1. Dyer & Florence weren't named in the original Chiefs squad, but were announced in the side for Round 4.[8]
  2. Burr & Tukuafu weren't named in the original Chiefs squad, but were announced in the side for Round 5.[9]
  3. Mitch Jacobson wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced in the side for Round 6.[10]
  4. Finau wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced in the side for Round 10.[11]

Current coaches and management

Head coach

Assistant coaches

Performance analysts
  • Regan Hall
  • Mark Roberts

Former coaches and captains

Coaches
Chiefs coaches by date, matches and win percentage*
Coach Period G W D L %
Brad Meurant 1996-1997 22 10 0 12 045.45
Ross Cooper 1998–2000 33 14 0 19 042.42
John Mitchell 2001 11 6 0 5 054.55
Kevin Greene 2002–2003 22 6 0 16 027.27
Ian Foster 2004–2011 103 52 5 46 050.49
Dave Rennie 2012–2017 94 65 3 26 069.15
Colin Cooper 2018–2019 32 18 2 12 056.25
Warren Gatland 2020 14 4 0 10 028.57
Clayton McMillan 2021– 13 9 0 4 069.23
Totals (1996–present)* 336 184 10 142 054.76
Updated to: 13 June 2021

Notes:

^* Official Super Rugby competition matches only, including finals.

Captains

Women's team

The Chiefs Women's team (known as the Waitomo Chiefs Manawa for sponsorship reasons) competes in Super Rugby Aupiki, after it was announced that a 15-a-side New Zealand women's rugby competition was to be played from 2021 and beyond.[13] The team had previously competed in a one off match against the Blues in May 2021.[14] The team is currently coached by Allan Bunting.[15]

On 3 November 2021, the squad for the Super Rugby Aupiki was announced.[16]

Chiefs Super Rugby Aupiki squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose Forwards

Halfbacks (Scrum-halves)

First Five-Eighths (Fly-halves)

Midfielders (Centres)

Outside Backs

(cc) Denotes team co-captains, Bold denotes internationally capped, SP denotes a shadow player and ST indicated short-term cover.

    References
    1. "2012 Super Rugby end of season awards - Sanzar". super.rugby. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
    2. "Chiefs have field day in harpooning Wales for historic victory". Stuff. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
    3. "Canes hopeful of tempting Taranaki's finest". Stuff. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
    4. Chiefs to play Blues in New Plymouth after Taranaki switch
    5. Burnes, Campbell (23 May 2014). "Rugby: Blues side offer an ideal stern challenge for Juniors". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014.
    6. "Blues XV v Chiefs Development". Getty Images. 13 March 2007.
    7. "Gallagher Chiefs squad announced for 2022" (Press release). Chiefs. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
    8. "Gallagher Chiefs named to face Crusaders in rematch of 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa Final" (Press release). Chiefs. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
    9. "Gallagher Chiefs named to face Moana Pasifika at Mt Smart Stadium" (Press release). Chiefs. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
    10. "Gallagher Chiefs welcome crowds back to FMG Stadium Waikato, team named to face Crusaders" (Press release). Chiefs. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
    11. "Team named to face Waratahs in Super Round Melbourne" (Press release). Chiefs. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
    12. "Clayton McMillan appointed as interim head coach for 2021 Gallagher Chiefs" (Press release). 28 February 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
    13. "Green light for Super Rugby Aupiki". allblacks.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
    14. "First Waitomo Chiefs Women's squad announced". NZ Herald. 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
    15. "Super Rugby: Rotorua's Allan Bunting named head coach of Chiefs Women". NZ Herald. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
    16. "2022 Chiefs Women's Squad announced | Chiefs Rugby". Chiefs. 3 November 2021. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
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