Chiefs fire shot at Crusaders after losing young local star Oli Mathis for Super Rugby Pacific

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

Waikato product Oli Mathis has been snapped up by the Crusaders.

It might still be 101 days till a ball is kicked in Super Rugby Pacific, but the bitter rivalry between the Chiefs and Crusaders is still alive and well, with another win chalked up for the red and blacks going into 2026.

Last season’s two finalists, who endured a memorable buildup to that decider in Christchurch when the hosts contentiously banned cowbells from Apollo Projects Stadium, have now been involved in a vigorous off-season tug-of-war over one of the country’s most promising prospects.

And, after narrowly triumphing in this year’s final, two years after they also did so in Hamilton, the Crusaders can now add the name of Oli Mathis to their list of recent significant victories over the Chiefs.

The Post understands the 20-year-old former New Zealand Schools superstar and captain, now two-season Waikato NPC rep and capped New Zealand Under-20 and All Blacks Sevens player will this week be unveiled in the red and blacks’ ranks, after Rob Penney’s side came up trumps in a hotly-contested two-horse race for his signature.

It’s understood the 1.86m, 100kg hybrid, who has grown up as an elusive openside flanker but is equally comfortable on the wing such is his speed and skill, will be on a wider training group contract with the Crusaders for 2026, before being upgraded to a full-squad deal for 2027-2028.

Chiefs chief executive Simon Graafhuis has taken a shot at the Crusaders from poaching another of their local talents.

The Crusaders wouldn’t confirm the signing, however Chiefs chief executive Simon Graafhuis did not hold back in his view of what he sees is the latest raid by the red and blacks on their local talent.

“It’s not the first time,” he noted to The Post, as Mathis becomes the latest in a line of Hamilton Boys’ High School products to head to the Crusaders, following in the footsteps of the likes of Noah Hotham, Taha Kemara, Tahlor Cahill and Aki Tuivailala, while Xavier Saifoloi is another Waikato rep who debuted there this year.

“I think they’re probably an importer of talent,” Graafhuis said of the 14-time champions.

“Where do the people in the Crusaders/Canterbury system actually come from?”

Of course, rewind a dozen years or so and the boot was on the other foot, with such names as Brodie Retallick, Anton Lienert-Brown and Damian McKenzie having been lured from Crusaders territory to the Chiefs.

Mathis is a proud product of Waihi (he even has his postcode tattooed on his foot), before opting to board from Year 10 at renowned rugby school Hamilton Boys’, who he went on to captain in the 1st XV.

Oli Mathis has played two seasons of NPC for the Mooloos, as well as also representing the All Blacks Sevens.

He has been well and truly on the Chiefs’ radar, training with them on a NDC (national development contract) straight out of school, heading into the 2024 Super season.

After making his Mooloos debut later that year, Mathis then played a season with the All Blacks Sevens on the world series, before this winter heading to the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in South Africa, where he was limited to just one appearance due to a concussion.

In between times, though, a stint this year training with the Crusaders as injury cover seemingly sealed the deal to shift south. Mathis had previously been courted by the Crusaders, via their academy, in his school days, but had opted to sign with Waikato in order to give back to his home region.

“We identified Oli pretty early on and had a plan for him,” Graafhuis said.

“We were obviously keen to secure him. At the end of the day, him and his agent have to do what’s right for him, too.”

Tom Christie’s departure overseas opens a big door for Oli Mathis at the Crusaders.

Under New Zealand Rugby’s new wider training group (WTG) policy, their five franchises can now, on top of their 38 full-contract players, contract 12 others on WTG deals, up from the six previously allowed. Those players, however, will only be allowed to get on the park if injuries sufficiently strike their team.

It’s likely Mathis would also have been swayed by what was in front of him at the respective outfits competing for his services.

The Chiefs have an abundance of All Blacks loose forwards – Luke Jacobson, Wallace Sititi, Simon Parker, Samipeni Finau, even potentially Tupou Vaa’i, while on the wing there are also All Blacks in Leroy Carter and Emoni Narawa.

At the Crusaders, meanwhile, Tom Christie’s departure (to Newcastle) opens a big door, while young Fletcher Anderson is also on the move (to Scarlets), and the injury-troubled Ethan Blackadder and Cullen Grace are already sidelined.

“I hate to say it, but they’ve got a good environment, so do you go to a good environment and get play-time, or do you sit behind and learn from the best in the business?” Graafhuis said.

“And Oli’s made it clear what he thinks is the best option for him.”

Despite having this one slip through their fingers, Graafhuis was confident the Chiefs, on the back of also losing coach Clayton McMillan overseas (Munster), remained an attractive place for what was a growing pool of young prospects, given many other schools in their catchment had become much more competitive with Hamilton Boys’.

“Absolutely. The challenge is how many All Blacks we’ve got at the moment [15 have taken the park this year] and another nine in the All Blacks XV, that’s a massive group of our players. So I think we’re seen as a genuine pathway to the All Blacks.

“You’re never going to get everyone, and that’s the challenge we’ve all got. But players have got to want to be here, too.

“I hope Oli goes on and does some good things… I wish him the best, and hopefully after a little bit of time he realises maybe what he’s missing and wants to come back. That’d be quite useful.”