Welcome to the Wide World of Sports’ coverage of the Super Rugby Pacific qualifying finals, featuring matches held in Hamilton and Canberra.
In the first match on Saturday, the Chiefs will face off against the Blues, albeit with a depleted midfield following the injury to Quinn Tupaea. He suffered a significant cut around his eye last weekend against the Highlanders, resulting in his withdrawal from the game. Fortunately, while no major damage has been reported, he isn’t fit to take the field against the reigning champions. With another key player, Anton Lienert-Brown, also unavailable, the Chiefs will rely on Daniel Rona and Gideon Wrampling to fill the gaps in midfield. Notably, coach Clayton McMillan has opted for Simon Parker at No. 8 over the emerging talent Wallace Sititi.
The Chiefs’ coach acknowledges the Blues’ recent form, noting, "The Blues have built their game nicely over the past few weeks. We expect them to arrive with momentum and confidence. We will treat this match with the respect it deserves, anticipating a tough contest."
The Blues have only made a single change to their lineup, bringing in Adrian Choat to replace Anton Segner at blindside flanker.
The match details are as follows:
Chiefs (1) vs Blues (6)
Date: Saturday, 7 June
Location: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Kickoff: 5:05 PM AEST
Chiefs Starting XV:
- Aidan Ross
- Samisoni Taukei’aho
- George Dyer
- Naitoa Ah Kuoi
- Tupou Vaa’i
- Samipeni Finau
- Luke Jacobson (c)
- Simon Parker
- Cortez Ratima
- Damian McKenzie
- Leroy Carter
- Gideon Wrampling
- Daniel Rona
- Emoni Narawa
- Shaun Stevenson
Replacements:
- Brodie McAlister
- Ollie Norris
- Reuben O’Neill
- Josh Lord
- Wallace Sititi
- Xavier Roe
- Josh Jacomb
- Etene Nanai-Seturo
Blues Starting XV:
- Joshua Fusitu’a
- Ricky Riccitelli
- Marcel Renata
- Patrick Tuipulotu (c)
- Laghlan McWhannell
- Adrian Choat
- Dalton Papali’i
- Hoskins Sotutu
- Finlay Christie
- Beauden Barrett
- Caleb Clarke
- AJ Lam
- Rieko Ioane
- Mark Tele’a
- Corey Evans
Replacements:
- Kurt Eklund
- Jordan Lay
- Angus Ta’avao
- Josh Beehre
- Anton Segner
- Sam Nock
- Harry Plummer
- Cole Forbes
Officiating Team:
- Referee: Angus Gardner
- Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy, Matt Kellahan
- TMO: James Leckie
The anticipation builds as these two teams gear up for a competitive showdown in the playoffs.