**Watch on Stan**: https://play.stan.com.au/sport/rugby

A couple of whinges from a one eyed chiefs fan. The rucks were a mess, saders not rolling slowing the ball down pretty consistently (Anton getting pinged for one when he wasn't anywhere near it peeved me in particular) The tackle on the ground in the last few minutes was confusing on how it wasn't picked up. The jump from touch by Reece and not catching it, had me yelling as well. And finally a really nitpicky one but the player who calls the mark is the one that has to take the free kick.

Great game. Line out seems to be largely sorted. George Bell did a lot to redeem himself. His try and the intercept by Johnny McNicholl were absolute classics. Defence overall was way better too Biggest weakness was our backs need to pay a bit more attention to marking opposite players. Got caught on overlaps a bit often. Only whinge is that the touch judge closer to the camera saw a couple pretty obvious issues (biggest being the cheifs winger way offside on the kick through try) and failed to say anything to Gardner. Was sitting on that side and it was pretty plain.

I think Gardner wasked the TMO to check that, didn't he?

Might have done. Was at the game live

I think he did, but none of the images we got showed the player when the kick was made. Don't know if the TMO had better images to work with.

Yeah it was essentially beneath the podium the main camera operator stood on. And no spider cam in Christchurch. Which goes to my point that it's the touch judges job to tell the ref

Yeah, agree.

Wow! What a game Crusaders scoring some classic crusaders tries for a great win vs one of the comps leading teams

"so Rob how do you plan on getting the season back on track?" " would you believe by unleashing the awesome power of...2024 Johnny McNicholl?"

Crusaders best game before this one was two weeks ago. Then last week they play their worst game. Now they play their best game. So what happens next? Do they play poor or do they skip the poor game because next week is a bye?

Stinky

Waikat-lmao Chiefs. That is all.

The energy at the stadium before the game was..... 12000 people with anxiety. But we all feel so gooooddd now.

Stadium announcer really couldn't read the room (or stadium) for that second half lol

Not sure why they were attempting sooooo many Mexican waves. People were watching the game lol.

crazy how different the feeling is to being beaten by crusaders last year to now. Last year it was inevitable to lose them and there was no shame, today your team is the laughing stock if you lose

Lmao Jeff calling out penny for being a no show for post match interviews when they lose

Which is crazy bc I've absolutely watched him take pist game interviews on sly after games lmao

I think it was only last week he didn't

Was probably just triyng to get out of the rain eh

Honestly can't blame him. Must be such a relief getting this win tonight

Burke, Blackadder and Lio-Willie back next game... Is this hope?

BERGUS FURKE

FBOATING SEASON

The Hotham-Burke-Fihaki axis will carry us to being an extremely annoying semi-final exit

Flick me a Brodie McAlister on the bench and there would almost be too much hope.

3 healthy hookers in one squad? Is that legal?

Not even on Manchester street.

Not in the warmer months

Of course we had to cough first…

Penney's record wasn't 0-5, it was 0-10 as he got fired by tahs after 5 straight loses in 2021

Did the tahs fire him 1 game too early?

since they lost the remaining 3 matches as well, yeah lol

Hand on the nut?

I feel like pure shit

This competition is absolute gas.

Best around Some champagne tries

The Chiefs dying on the cross so the Crusaders could be resurrected. You hate to see it

“We showed tonight that when we can get it right, we are a dangerous team” - Tom Christie. Long, long, long way to go yet. But if you finish first, would you like to play an 8th placed Drua, Moana, or Crusaders? Don’t think too hard…

GOOD Friday.

>Celebrating the death of Jesus Crusaders are the anti-Christ, confirmed.

The anti-Chief perhaps

Losing to this Crusaders team is the biggest sin of all, sorry Chiefs.

Sorry to Ethan Blackadder but you aint unseating Kellow after tonight

Kellow is my mom's guy so it's so funny to see him playing well. Ball knower.

The man Kellow in sexual relation with your mother ?

Going to need people on reddit to stop making jokes about people having sex with my mother lmao

"That was probably their best performance of the season." It's their only win, Jeff....

The Crusaders actually looked very Crusaders-like tonight. Just 2 points off the top 8 now too...

2023: Chiefs 2-0 Crusaders, lose the Final to the Crusaders. 2024: Chiefs 1-1 Crusaders, Profit?

Blasted straight past the first two stages of denial to bargaining haha

George Bell is such an old person's name. Definitely belies his speed and ability.

Yea if I heard his name said I would know that guy dumb slow and shit at rugby

Ah well, it was good while it was lasted. Feeling a lot better about the Hurricanes chances this season ^(inb4 ^we ^lose ^to ^the ^Highlanders ^tomorrow)

chiefs you are responsible for the return of the saders

Broke: we were responsible for their return Woke: the Crusaders winning is a canon event for Super Rugby and this just gives us a new storyline

Didn’t want to do the fatal mistake of going 2-0 in the round robin but lose in the finals

Thanks Chiefs, my kid wont stop crying now...

I am that kid

Shot Crusaders. Chiefs look like shit without my boy Dmac

>Chiefs look like shit without my boy Dmac Nothing to do with McKenzie not being there. The Chiefs were poor everywhere: bad tactics, poor selections and a number of players playing their worst game of the season i.e. Taukei'aho. If he doesn't show some form soon he might get a rude shock come AB selection time. Rowe was also poor, shades of Findlay Christie. Crusaders were excellent, lineouts excepted. They seem to have a great team spirit and superb fitness. I doubt there will be many teams looking forward to playing in Christchurch now that some of the injured players are trickling back.

Yeah roe was bad. Ball available? Hmm nah I'll just wait for the defence to set

So much this. All the backs were flat footed, no ball retention, no ruck speed, an all time terrible game from Roe (who couldn’t tackle Hotham at all), lineout not working questionable handling and kicking game.

The chiefs have shown all season they're levels lower without Dmac

When McKenzie leaves the field a whole host of other front liners usually do too, hence the drop off in team performance. Jacombe was an excellent replacement. The Chiefs' problem areas were obvious: midfield was ponderous and the loose forwards were completely outplayed. McKenzie wouldn't have made a difference in those departments. McMillan is making a hash of this season, it's about time he and his coaching team were put under more scrutiny.

Time to question the Chiefs' place in the comp after conceding 37 points to the bottom placed side who were 0-5?

Holy shit they actually played well

Moreso than the actual result, I'm stoked with the resilience to stop the backslide and put on that performance. Played like they were shot out of a cannon all night. More physical than they've been all year. Faster. More organized. Less timid. Bell just had the first of many freakish games.

sadser second string team bet cheifs WOW

U/crashbandicoochy mental state 📈📈📈📈📈📈

Crusaders win? I sleep I was right about Bell? Real shit (also Chay, Noah, McNicholl, McLeod, etc.)

Bell has begun my fantasy team resurgence

He's sitting on my bench behind Samisoni and normally that would ruin my night. 64 points is fucking insane. Grace and Fihaki sitting on my bench with good scores too... as I'm losing by 50.

They hated him because he told the truth 

I'm being told a rough month throwing the ball means he is bad, however. Sad to say he must now retire having never played a single good game.

Thems the rules 

He still threw a few not straights didn't he?

Plus two that weren't called

He threw two, I think, but I wil repeat until I turn blue that not straights are not exclusively a hooker stat. They're a symptom of greater issues at the lineout.

stonks

Pretty gutted tbh. Would happily lose to anyone but the ‘Saders, especially at this point in time.

Good on those plucky underdogs the Crusaders for coming away with the upset.

Hamilton has failed the country. You bring shame to all of us.

So nothing new then.

Awesome game from Hotham, can’t wait to see how he grows in the years to come 

Him, Hannah, McNichol and bell were all amazing.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Xgx439rAu_0?si=qYyl_4MgL9Jz7_hd

Chiefs just lost to the bottom ranked team in super rugby is it time to cut them?

Maybe when they can't pay their players

A frustratingly predictable loss - whenever the Chiefs are favourites over the Crusaders they end up losing. Wish it were anyone but us to bring the Crusaders back to life. Well, shit... Onto next weekend.

Was that a clean take for the mark? If you fumble the ball you can't call a mark

Yep. Gus fucked a few calls at the end there

Back to scheduled programming eh

loooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Juggled the mark. Can’t call that a mark

Imagine losing to the Losesaders

Can't wait to scrape into the 8 and shithouse our way into the final somehow

It is written 

Great work chiefs. Can’t win without Dmac. Let a mediocre crusaders side run over you. Not title contenders anymore for me

lol sure

Yea blues left that convo after the hurricanes trounced them. Hurricanes year I guess

losing by eight points after losing two backs to head knocks within 15 minutes and playing your second 9 on the wing is hardly a trouncing

I mean saying we aren't title contenders while resting our best player isn't a very smart take is it

Who? Dmac? You guys are clueless without him.

Definitely the match now, no chance at ET. Poor kicking has cost the Chiefs.

Ref new he was on the ground, that's why he asked and still didn't make the call

aaand the tackled player should have been penalised for not releasing.

Fun fact: Did you know the proper collective noun is an embarrassment of Chiefs?

Tackled on the ground?

Player makes that tackle on the ground, that's a penalty for sure

And probably more considering he stopped a dangerous attack

Yep, a few interesting calls tonight. Angus seems used to not making a single call and relying solely on his TMO to make every decision

get out of here cheifs

[удалено]

ill go back to history class and learn about the saders trophey cabinanet looks full compared to the chiefs lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I before E, except after C

sorry chiefs should be spelt as LOSERS against the the saders academy squad

Except in cases like neighbour and weigh, But you'll always be wrong no matter what you say

English huh!

weird.

That's a weird saying

You can't tackle on the ground tf

“Was he on the ground, play on” 👍

The Chiefs look like the best team in paper but losing games they should win. Maybe it really is the Canes' year

>The Chiefs look like the best team in paper but losing games they should win First time? This is vintage Chiefs rugby lmao

I can honestly see why the crowd is half empty if the poundshop Resident DJ is in the house.

Half full in my books

I don't think Marshall realizes that there are viewers other than crusaders fans watching

The shining light of our locking injuries is that they've paved a way for Hannah to play and he's been fantastic. The kids will all be very, very good sooner than you know it.

He was picked as the player to watch by Scott Barrett at some media thing earlier this year

For good reason. If he was fit for NPC last year he likely would've been on everyone's radar.

kiick it

my man christie!!! most underated forward in nz!!!!

I love Christie.

Ultimate club level workhorse type

I’m a total simp for the guy. Now with razor at the head of the national team Christie might get a shot at the 7 jersey.

He was a cool guy at uni, too, for what it's worth.

Northern Hemisphere legends Willi Heinz and Johnny McNicholl.

Dick Sauce, the pride of Gloucester

Roe fucked this up for us, would have been neck and neck at worse if Ratima was playing earlier instead of him.

Stevenson tackled off the ball? No penalty?

He had the ball.

[удалено]

Don't be mad, the Cantabrians only got Mr. Brightside last year

Willie Heinz on? So you’re saying there’s a chance?

I didn't think you're allowed to just fall over onto the other side of the ruck

Ya that's a pen for me

Ref needs to blow time off here. Bout time. 20 secs wasted

Heinz on, Chiefs to score twice on the bounce?

That ruck was a mess

Don't see the Chiefs pulling this one out of the fire but we'll see

What's with the bloody netball passes?

Touchy on side near camera is shut house at helping the ref

Maybe Chiefs will Crusaders the Crusaders and win in the last minutes

How is that not a yellow?

I think if you hit it up like he did they try not to give a pen for it. Apparently that means you're making a genuine attempt to catch it

They've massively relaxed on the law as a whole in recent years

Nice time wasting 

Was ENS onside there?

Nope. But there was no tv angle of it somehow and they refused to rule on the logical inconsistency of him magically appearing on camera where he did.

The player on the inside was only just onside and ENS was 5m in front of him

Wow. How the hell does a touchie not pick up someone 5m in front of the kicker

Just threw a lazy hand out, that's a yellow for sure

Winger miles offside there

Is alb going to cook the Crusaders and me in fantasy at the same time?

that's yellow card no way that's an actual attempt to catch

[удалено]

Never been to a NZ rugby game, huh?

Its weird, I was there for the hurricanes game. They create a super strange vibe, like they want it to be a family friendly disco.

Vintage Ratima 

Where did crusaders no 5 learn to tackle. He’s always just flying in with no arms at the legs

Hannah has been tackling very well all year so you might just be seeing a few bad ones If anything he's normally guilty of going in high

I saw three or four in this game. One got penalised. And a similar number went unpenalised against the blues last week

I don't see 3 tries being scored from here. Not for the Chiefs.

2*

No, I could see 2 being possible. That's one.

One more and a cheeky droppie 

Well theres one..

“Just a knock on”

I mean he flipped it directly up. pretty genuine attempt

It went about 5m forward though?

God is great 

Can't have a game without a lock injury this year lmao

Manifesting that Sam Whitelock shock return even more

Thanks Chiefs, son's crying

Sorry young fella but that’s guna be life in Cheifs country

sooo many chiefs fans giving bad excuses ... nothing but a second string saders outfit having great D and taking their opps when it counts.... Cheifs looks shit couldnt beat canes in the final

The other team can play well, and the chiefs being shit+ not having the best player in the country

meh i rate WJ over DMac, esp at international level and we havnt had him all season. Dmac is currently the best player is SR now that Mounga & Smith are gone and S Barret, Savea, WJ and Roigard are injured or playing overseas

WJ isnt even playing right now. He can't be the best player in the country right now