Super Rugby Pacific: Chiefs score seven tries to demolish Crusaders 49-12 in Hamilton semifinal
Friday, 12 June 2026
At Waikato Stadium, Hamilton: Chiefs 49 (Kyren Taumoefolau 11min, 15min, Isaac Hutchinson 20min, Samisoni Taukei’aho 24min, Leroy Carter 30min, Tupou Vaa’i 33min, Xavier Roe 79min tries; Damian McKenzie 7 con) Crusaders 12 (Chay Fihaki 26min, David Havili 63min tries; Rivez Reihana con). HT: 42-5.
What Crusaders curse? How about their biggest loss of all-time.
The Chiefs’ red and black ghosts of seasons past were vanquished, in the most stunning of styles, on a freaky Friday night in Hamilton.
A Super Rugby Pacific semifinal that had ‘blockbuster’ written all over it should have also come with a 'horror’ tag, as the hosts absolutely blew the visitors to pieces in a record-breaking 49-12 shellacking in front of a rocking sell-out crowd of 22,000.
This was not only the Chiefs’ equal-most points put on the fierce foes (level with their 49-24 effort from last year at the same venue), which had also ranked as their previous-biggest win over them, but this was also the Crusaders’ heaviest loss ever, surpassing the 36-point margin in the 52-16 defeat to the Reds in Brisbane in round three of the very first season in 1996.
What was easily the Chiefs’ best performance of the year has now piloted Jono Gibbes’ side into a final next Saturday night, probably in Wellington against the top-seeded Hurricanes, though possibly back in Hamilton should the beleagured Blues do the unthinkable in their semi in the capital.
It will be a fourth-straight decider, for a side who have of course been bridesmaids the past three years, but who, on the back of this Crusaders crushing, will take all sorts of confidence with them that this could be the season they break their 13-year title drought.
The only sour taste will be leg injuries to gun young fullback Isaac Hutchinson and Quinn Tupaea, in a game where Crusaders hybrid Leicester Fainga’anuku was also forced off with a leg injury of his own which will have the All Blacks selectors nervous.
For the defending-champion Crusaders, their title defence that started shaky, then gathered momentum in conjunction with their sparkly new covered stadium, comes to a crashing halt, in what was their fifth loss of seven away games this season, and also Rob Penney’s last match at the helm before Scott Hansen takes the reins.
They had all the psychological advantages they could want against the Chiefs, having beaten them in all four of their sudden-death meetings the past five seasons, as well as in both regular-season meetings this year.
That, though, proved to be a bad omen. When the sides last met in the playoffs, in the 2025 and 2023 deciders, it was the Chiefs having won both home and away in-season, before losing the one that mattered.
This time it couldn’t have been more emphatic, as the Chiefs maintained their unblemished record in home semifinals (now 6-0), in what was a perfect way for Damian McKenzie to celebrate his 150th match for the franchise.
McKenzie was at his electric best with ball in hand, and with his clever boot also proving key, as the Chiefs caught fire in the crisp conditions and ran riot in the first half for a staggering 42-5 scoreline, as the crowd gave a standing ovation after a stunning onslaught where the hosts racked up six converted tries in just 22 minutes (between the 11th and 34th).
The first two of those went to Kyren Taumoefolau, who opened the scoring from a beautiful long ball from Lalakai Foketi, after Quinn Tupaea tormented his midfield opposites, smashing through David Havili and then getting back to win a ruck turnover on Braydon Ennor.
His quick-fire double was set up by a brilliant break upfield by gun young fullback Isaac Hutchinson, before a left-foot McKenzie grubber had Taumoefolau then nudge ahead and show great speed, and poise, to complete the job.
At 28-0 down, the Crusaders eventually opened their account in the 26th minute, when Taha Kemara’s dancing feet and nice ball put Chay Fihaki away.
But any thoughts of a comeback were quickly put to bed by Leroy Carter, on return from six weeks out with a hamstring injury, cutting back on the angle to score, and then the try of the night, where Liam Coombes-Fabling chipped, chased, regathered, classily fed Foketi, who then gave inside for Tupou Vaa’i to finish.
It completed a half where the Chiefs enjoyed 60% possession and 60% territory, and were massively on the right side of carries (83-40), metres (372-145), defenders beaten (18-8), clean breaks (11-3), turnovers conceded (5-12), and had made just 42 tackles to the Crusaders’ 101 (missing nine to their 17).
The visitors’ night was summed up early in the second half when Ennor surged into a yawning gap but had Noah Hotham knock-on inside (in a fine covering tackle from Cortez Ratima), and then have Dom Gardiner drop a ball near the tryline which had the TMO rule out a try to Christian Lio-Willie.