Chiefs (rugby union)

The Chiefs (Māori: Rangatira;[1] 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, Waikato. 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 FMG Stadium Waikato.

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)FMG Stadium Waikato
(Capacity: 26,000)
Coach(es)Clayton McMillan
Captain(s)Sam Cane
Brad Weber
Most capsLiam Messam (182)
Top scorerDamian McKenzie (1062)
League(s)Super Rugby Pacific
2023Playoffs: Runners-up
1st overall
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.

In 2021 the Chiefs Rugby Club established their women's team, formerly known as the Chiefs women, now the Chiefs Manawa (Waitomo Chiefs Manawa for sponsorship reasons). The Waitomo Chiefs Manawa won the inaugural season of Sky Super Rugby Aupiki in 2022 and were runner-up in the competition in 2023.

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.[2]

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.[3]

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 playoffs. 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 off 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). In the 2023 season, the Chiefs won 13 of the 14 regular season matches, going on to host the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato for their first home final since 2013. The Crusaders however remained the Super Rugby Pacific champions winning 25-20.

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.[4]

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 .[5] 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
FMG Stadium Waikato Yarrow Stadium Rotorua Int'l Stadium Navigation Homes Stadium ASB Baypark Stadium
Capacity: 25,000 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.[6][7]

Honours

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

2012, 2013

  • Runners-up (1)

2009, 2023

  • Playoffs Appearances (12)

2004, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022

  • Super Rugby Aotearoa Runners-up (1)

2021

  • New Zealand Conference Champions (2)

2012, 2013

  • BNZ Cup Winner (2)

2013, 2014

Brisbane Global Tens
  • Champions (1)

2017

Records and achievements

Season standings

A season-by-season summary of Chiefs regular season results is shown below:

Super 12 Super 14 Super Rugby Super Rugby Aotearoa Super Rugby Trans Tasman Super Rugby Pacific
Season Pos Pld W D L F A +/- BP Pts Notes
19966th11605291269+22428
199711th11407272295−23319
19987th11605279291−12529
19996th11506248301−53626
200010th11308257352−95820
20016th11605301330−29428
20028th11407323341−18824
200310th11209257274−17917
20044th11704274251+23533Lost semi-final to Brumbies
20056th11515272250+22628
20067th13715325298+27636
20076th13715373321+521040
20087th13706348349−1634
20092nd13904338236+102945Lost final to Bulls
201011th13418340418−78826
201110th16619332348−16640*1
20121st161204444358+86864*Defeated Sharks in final1
20131st161204458364+941066*Defeated Brumbies in final1
20145th16826384378+6844Lost qualifier to Brumbies
20155th161006372299+73848Lost qualifier to Highlanders
20166th151104491341+150751Lost semifinal to Hurricanes
20176th151212433292+141751Lost semifinal to Crusaders
20185th161105463368+95549Lost quarterfinal to Hurricanes
20197th16727451465−14436Lost quarterfinal to Jaguares
20205th6402194128+66319Season cancelled due to COVID-192
20205th8008155212−5755No playoffs, round robin only3
20212nd8503187230−43020Lost final to Crusaders4
20215th5401170111+593195
20223rd141004453348+105545Lost semifinal to Crusaders
20231st141301487261+226759Lost final to Crusaders

Notes

^1 Teams were awarded four points for a bye during the Super Rugby seasons from 2011 to 2013. Each team took two bye rounds each season. These additional 8 points are included in their season points tally.
^2 All matches after Round 7 were cancelled. the season remained incomplete and no champion was awarded.[8]
^3 Super Rugby Aotearoa was announced as a stand-in replacement competition for Super Rugby, between New Zealand Super Rugby sides. It was played as a round robin competition, with no finals. All teams played the other four teams twice, with the title awarded to the highest ranked team at the conclusion of the round robin fixtures.[9][10]
^4 Super Rugby Aotearoa adopted the same format in 2021 as the inaugural tournament in 2020, with the addition of a final between the top two ranked teams at the conclusion of the round robin stage.[11]
^5 Super Rugby Trans Tasman was a crossover competition between the teams involved in Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU. Each team from Super Rugby AU played each team from Super Rugby Aotearoa once, and vice versa. A final was played between the top two seeded teams at the conclusion of the round robin matches.[12][13]

Results per opposition

Chiefs Super Rugby results vs different opponents

Super Rugby
Opposition Span Played Won Drawn Lost Win%
New Zealand Blues1996–2023402311657.5%
New Zealand Crusaders1996–2023461902741.3%
New Zealand Highlanders1996–2023392111753.8%
New Zealand Hurricanes1996–2023421922145.2%
Australia Brumbies1996–2022291211641.4%
Australia Force2006–202213110284.6%
Australia Rebels2011–20231090190.9%
Australia Reds1996–2022251401156.0%
Australia Waratahs1996–2023271401351.9%
South Africa Bulls1996–201923132856.5%
South Africa Cheetahs1997–20171173163.6%
South Africa Lions1996–201820130765.0%
South Africa Sharks1998–2019231201152.2%
South Africa Southern Kings2013–20162200100.0%
South Africa Stormers1996–2019221201054.5%
Argentina Jaguares2016–2019420250.0%
Japan Sunwolves2017–2020430175.0%
Fiji Fijian Drua2022-20232200100.0%
Samoa Tonga Moana Pasifika2022–20233300100.0%
Overall1996–20233852111016454.8%
Updated to: 29 April 2023

Current squad
For player movements before and during the 2023 season, see List of 2022–23 Super Rugby transfers (New Zealand) § Chiefs.

The squad for the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season is:[14][lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 8][lower-alpha 9]

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. Ryan wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced as signing in December 2022.[15]
  2. Ta'avao was announced in the Chiefs squad for the 2023 season, but was ruled out for the season through injury in December 2022.[15]
  3. Roe was announced in the Chiefs squad for the 2023 season, but was ruled out for the season through injury in February 2023.[16]
  4. Tahuriorangi wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced as an injury replacement player in February 2023.[17]
  5. Alaimalo wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced in the side for Round 1.[18]
  6. Coombes-Fabling wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was named as a late inclusion in the side for Round 1.[19]
  7. Rona wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced in the side for Round 3.[20]
  8. Tukuafu wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced in the side for Round 9.[21]
  9. Lalomilo wasn't named in the original Chiefs squad, but was announced in the side for Round 10.[22]

Wider training squad

The following players weren't named in the Chiefs 2023 squad, but were named in the Chiefs wider training squad following the full squad announcement.[23]

Current coaches and management

Head coach

Assistant coaches

Performance analysts
  • Alistair Beeton
  • Jesse-James Tipene
  • Sam Dobson
  • Adam Hay

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 106 53 5 48 050.00
Dave Rennie 2012–2017 104 71 3 30 068.27
Colin Cooper 2018–2019 34 18 2 14 052.94
Warren Gatland 2020 14 4 0 10 028.57
Clayton McMillan 2021–present 38 28 0 10 073.68
Totals (1996–present)* 384 210 10 164 054.69
Updated to: 24 April 2023

Notes:

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

Captains

References
  1. "Rangatira - te Aka Māori Dictionary".
  2. "2012 Super Rugby end of season awards - Sanzar". super.rugby. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. "Chiefs have field day in harpooning Wales for historic victory". Stuff. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. "Canes hopeful of tempting Taranaki's finest". Stuff. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. Chiefs to play Blues in New Plymouth after Taranaki switch
  6. 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.
  7. "Blues XV v Chiefs Development". Getty Images. 13 March 2007.
  8. Decent, Tom (14 March 2020). "All Super Rugby matches to be cancelled after Sunday's fixtures". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. "Super Rugby Aotearoa draw and 'experimental' rules". Otago Daily Times. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  10. "Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealand Rugby confirm details for 'Super Rugby Aotearoa' at alert level 2". NZ Herald. 7 May 2020. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  11. "20 NZ derbies, one final! Super Rugby Aotearoa draw announced for 2021". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  12. "2021 set for thrilling Trans-Tasman crossover". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  13. "Super Rugby Trans-Tasman kick off times and locations confirmed for 2021". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  14. "Gallagher Chiefs squad announced for 2023" (Press release). Chiefs. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  15. "Ireland's John Ryan signs with the Gallagher Chiefs" (Press release). Chiefs. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  16. "Xavier Roe injury opens door for Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi to make Chiefs return" (Press release). Stuff. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  17. "Tahuriorangi returns to the Gallagher Chiefs as replacement" (Press release). Chiefs. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  18. "Gallagher Chiefs side named for opener" (Press release). Chiefs. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  19. "Match Centre - Super Rugby - Crusaders vs Chiefs". SANZAAR. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  20. "Gallagher Chiefs motivated for first game at home" (Press release). Chiefs. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  21. "Gallagher Chiefs inject fresh talent for clash against the Fijian Drua" (Press release). Chiefs. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  22. "Gallagher Chiefs team named for rivalry clash" (Press release). Chiefs. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  23. "Pre-season underway with wider training squad" (Press release). Chiefs. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  24. "Clayton McMillan appointed as interim head coach for 2021 Gallagher Chiefs" (Press release). 28 February 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
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