2023 Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final | |||||||
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Event | 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season | ||||||
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Date | 24 June 2023 | ||||||
Venue | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | ||||||
Man of the Match | Sam Whitelock (Crusaders) [1] | ||||||
Referee | Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) | ||||||
Attendance | 25,000 [2] [3] | ||||||
The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific final was a rugby union match contested between the Chiefs and the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium on 24 June 2023. It was the 28th Super Rugby final, staged to determine the premiers of the 2023 season. The match, attended by 25,000 spectators, was won by the Crusaders by a margin of five points, marking the franchise's twelfth Super Rugby title. Sam Whitelock was named "Man of the Match" in his 181st and final match for the Crusaders.
The Chiefs and the Crusaders finished first and second, respectively. [4] [5] It was the teams' first encounter in a Super Rugby final. [6]
Both finalists had won a Super Rugby title, with the Crusaders being the two-time, back-to-back defending champions and holding the most title victories in the Super Rugby (11), with the Chiefs' last Super Rugby title being in 2013. The head-to-head results overall in the Super Rugby before their encounter was 27–19, with the Crusaders holding an eight victory lead. Six of their last ten matches went the way of the Crusaders, and, in 2023, the Chiefs won both fixtures against the Crusaders. The odds for the final were equal, with both teams not being considered favourite. [7]
This section needs to be updated.(August 2023) |
Pos. | Team | Season | Points | |||
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P | W | D | L | |||
1 | Chiefs | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 59 |
2 | Crusaders | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 48 |
3 | Blues | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 46 |
4 | ACT Brumbies | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 46 |
5 | Hurricanes | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 41 |
6 | Waratahs | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 31 |
7 | Fijian Drua | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 26 |
8 | Reds | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 24 |
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | |||||||||
10 June – Hamilton | ||||||||||
Chiefs | 29 | |||||||||
17 June – Hamilton | ||||||||||
Reds | 20 | |||||||||
Chiefs | 19 | |||||||||
ACT Brumbies | 9 | |||||||||
16 June – Christchurch | ||||||||||
Blues | 15 | |||||||||
10 June – Christchurch | ||||||||||
Crusaders | 52 | |||||||||
Crusaders | 49 | |||||||||
Drua | 8 | |||||||||
24 June 2023 17:05 NZST (UTC+12) [8] |
Chiefs | 20–25 | Crusaders |
Try: Shaun Stevenson 23' c Emoni Narawa 43' c Con: Damian McKenzie (2/2) 24', 44' Pen: Damian McKenzie (2/4) 20', 49' Cards: Anton Lienert-Brown 9' to 19' Luke Jacobson 26' to 36' Sam Cane 72' | Report | Try: Codie Taylor (2) 28' m, 73' c Richie Mo'unga 36' c Con: Richie Mo'unga (2/3) 37', 74' Pen: Richie Mo'unga (2/2) 9', 80+1' Chay Fihaki (0/1) |
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Attendance: 25,000 [2] [3] Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) |
Chiefs | Crusaders |
Man of the Match: Assistant Referees: |
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in the competition's history and have won 12 titles, as well as two regionalised titles in 2020 and 2021.
The Chiefs 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.
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Samuel Lawrence Whitelock is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a lock for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup. Whitelock has captained the Crusaders, and New Zealand in five international games.
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Waikato are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1921, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton in the Waikato region. The team is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are red, yellow and black.
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The 2022 Super Rugby Pacific Final was played between the Blues and the Crusaders, both of New Zealand. It was the 25th final in the Super Rugby competition's history, and the first since 2019 after the 2020 Super Rugby season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and regional tournaments were played in the 2021 Super Rugby season. The Blues had qualified in first place on the regular season standings, while the Crusaders had qualified in second place. Both teams hosted quarter-final and semi-final matches.
The Chiefs Manawa are a New Zealand women's professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand that competes in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition.
The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific Season is the 28th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and a combined team from Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Island nations. The defending champions are the Crusaders, who won their 11th title in 2022.
He also paid tribute to two veteran players departing the Crusaders – Richie Mo'unga and lock Sam Whitelock, who was named man of the match in his 181st and final game for the team before he heads off to Europe.
And, having beaten the Crusaders already twice this year (and six times in his tenure – more than double any other side), the red and blacks sporting a hefty injury toll, the Chiefs featuring an All Black-laden roster and five 100-plus-gamers, and a raucous 25,000 roaring them on at FMG Stadium Waikato, here it all was for them to break their decade-long title drought.
For the Chiefs, the best team all season having lost one match prior to the final, the hurt will linger particularly for the 25,000 locals in attendance and the loyal departing servants Brodie Retallick, Brad Weber, Alex Nankivell and Pita Gus Sowakula.
Considering Whitelock was questionable to even play in the match, his shift was immense. The lineout work had the Chiefs fumbling and was a crucial factor when the home side was gathering momentum and confidence. Whitelock's final game of a legendary and storied career in red and black came to a fitting end, with a Man of the Match award and the Super Rugby Pacific trophy.