The Chiefs will be hoping their close rivals the Blues beat the Crusaders in Super Rugby’s first semifinal of the weekend so they potentially qualify for a home final.
But neither head coach Clayton McMillan nor playmaker Damian McKenzie could bring themselves to state that publicly today, both saying they will be interested observers of the match in Christchurch tomorrow night before their home semifinal against the Brumbies on Saturday.
"I’ll definitely be watching," McMillan said today. "I’m a rugby tragic… it’s going to be a royal battle. Statistically, there’s a lot in favour for the Crusaders. I can’t bring myself to cheer for either team. Maybe it will be a draw and go to extra time."
McKenzie said: "I’ll be watching. Obviously, whoever wins, wins. We know the rugby they can play. It will be a good game. I’ll be watching with interest."
There would not have been quite as much at stake for the Chiefs had they held on against the Blues last weekend.
A win would have guaranteed them a potential home final as top seeds – instead they were beneficiaries of the competition’s inaugural “lucky loser" concept.
Interestingly, McMillan, who is serving his final days with the franchise before he departs to take on a new role as head coach of Munster in Ireland, was more forthcoming about the finals format.
After losing to the Blues, the Chiefs dropped to become the second seeds – an apparently arbitrary fall which some critics have stated should have been all the way to the fourth and final playoff seeding.
"I’ve taken a passing interest in all the commentary that’s surrounded the competition format," McMillan said.
"The first thing is we don’t make the rules. Everyone knew what was on the line at the beginning of the season.
"I think we can probably all agree that the top two go straight through to the semifinal. I know there are some reasons why that didn’t happen. That’s for other people to make the decision around."
Principal among those reasons would have been the broadcasters’ requirement for more content.
While he was arguing from a point of self interest, McMillan was probably right in saying a free round for the top two would have made for a more straightforward format, and it was difficult to argue with his assertion that the competition overall this year has been far more even.
"My view, if you look at it through a slightly different lens, is that I agree with some of the commentary that this year’s Super Rugby competition has probably been the best spectacle for some time," he said.
The requirement to make a top six rather than a top eight, and the demise of the Rebels, which strengthened the other four Australian franchises, are two reasons why this competition was a far better product but all that will count for little if the Chiefs and McMillan cannot get across the line this time.
The Chiefs have been beaten grand finalists for the last two years and another failure would be tough on one of the most consistent teams of the competition who have only two titles — in 2012 and 2013 — to their name.
"It’s a bloody hard thing to win a Super Rugby competition," McMillan said.
"We’ve probably been good enough over the last five or six years to give ourselves a chance, but we just happened to run into a generational Crusaders team who won seven on the bounce and a Blues team who played a style last year that was really hard to combat.
"But I’m proud of our consistency. In order to win one, you have to be in the contest."
Meanwhile, experienced Brumbies and Wallabies prop James Slipper, who wore a singlet as protection against the reliably wet Auckland weather today, said he was aware of the Australian teams' woeful record in playoff matches in New Zealand. They have yet to win one.
"It’s a record we’re looking to break this weekend, obviously," Slipper said. "It’s a pretty impressive record for the Kiwis. We’re going to do our best. What we do know is that it’s going to be a bloody tough game.
"We know what we’re coming up against. It’s going to be pressure across the board, whether it’s set piece, breakdown or counter-attack or outside backs."
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