Chiefs and All Blacks No.10 Damian McKenzie is preparing for a return in his team’s Super Rugby playoff against the Reds after missing the last two rounds with concussion.
McKenzie sustained a head injury in his team’s victory over the Highlanders in Hamilton on May 15 and missed the defeat to the Crusaders and recent win over the Blues.
He said today that another concussion earlier in the season had led him to err on the side of caution but, after following the return-to-play protocols and suffering no further symptoms, he was available again.
“I’m ready to go,” he told 1News. “Obviously, you want to be out there late in the season building continuity.”
McKenzie was on the sideline at Waikato Stadium on Saturday as his weakened side dismantled a Blues team fighting for a third-place finish and said the team’s depth was clear to see.
“We’ve had some great battles with the Blues boys over the years. It speaks volumes about the depth we have here at the Chiefs. We have that mindset of 'next man up'."
Loose forward Wallace Sititi, who captained the Chiefs for the first time, was one of those who took his chance.
“The guys who get the opportunity make the most of it – we saw that at the weekend with the guys giving it a crack. It’s pleasing when you beat a New Zealand team by that many points… but it’s a different beast, finals rugby.”
The Chiefs, who finished second on the table behind the Hurricanes, host the fifth-placed Reds on Saturday night.
The Queenslanders pushed the Chiefs close in Brisbane recently – closing to 24-21 before the visitors pulled away thanks to a try from Wallace Sititi, converted by McKenzie, to win 31-21.
The Chiefs are no strangers to playoffs rugby – they have lost the last three grand finals (to the Crusaders in 2023, Blues in 2024 and Crusaders last year) – and there will be intrigue as to whether they can clear that final hurdle this time, assuming they get that far.
“We’ve been there before,” McKenzie added. “We’ve had many experiences of playoffs rugby over the last couple of years. This is not just any other game, it’s a quarter-final.
“At the start of the year, you want to be in contention. Now that we are in contention, it’s about focusing on what’s in front of us.”
McKenzie, who has played 74 Tests, will likely start ahead of Josh Jacomb.
A victory for the Chiefs would likely put them into a semifinal against the Crusaders or Blues.
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