Happy Monday, G&GRs! Well, we are down to the final two! The two form teams for the season are off to the big dance, and for once, it isn’t the Dark Saders! The scores were pretty dire, too. Which makes lasts weeks Reds performance look pretty reasonable, all things considered. So let’s dive in and analyse the two matches, Brisneyland style. Go and pour a cup of liquid gold☕ and get that into you while we dissect the SRP.
Super Rugby Pacific 2026 – Semi Finals
Chiefs 49 defeated the Crusaders 21
The Cowbells Were Ringing Early: Chiefs Pulverise Crusaders to March into Grand Final – Well, that escalated quickly. For years, the Crusaders have been rugby’s equivalent of the final boss level. No matter how battered, bruised, or apparently vulnerable they looked, they’d somehow find a way to emerge from finals footy with another trophy and another reason for the rest of us to question our life choices. Not this time.
The Chiefs didn’t just beat the Crusaders in Hamilton on Friday night – they absolutely dismantled them. By halftime, the contest was effectively over, the defending champions looked shell-shocked, and anyone wearing red and black was probably checking whether there was an emergency exit hidden somewhere behind the grandstand. When the dust settled, the Chiefs had posted a remarkable 49-12 victory and booked themselves a spot in the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final. More remarkably, they’d done most of the damage before anyone had finished their halftime pie.
The memories of last year’s Grand Final defeat clearly hadn’t gone away in Hamilton. The cowbells were ringing, the crowd was up for it, and the Chiefs played like a side that had spent the entire offseason replaying every painful moment of that loss. Quinn Tupaea set the tone early, producing a strong break and turnover that immediately put the Crusaders under pressure. From there, the midfield pairing of Tupaea and Lalakai Foketi went to work.
Foketi, who looked like he’d discovered every defensive weakness in the Crusaders’ system before kickoff, delivered a superb pass to put Kyren Taumoefolau over for the opening try. The young winger wasn’t finished there. Moments later, he chased through a Damian McKenzie kick, soccered the ball ahead, and regathered to score his second, leaving the Crusaders scrambling and the Hamilton crowd in full voice.
The Chiefs were ruthless. Every mistake from the visitors was punished. Every attacking opportunity was converted into points. Foketi continued his outstanding evening by helping create Isaac Hutchinson’s try before the fly-half’s night ended prematurely through injury. It hardly slowed the home side down.
When hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho crashed over, the scoreboard read 28-0, and there was a growing sense that this was becoming less of a semi-final and more of a public execution. To their credit, the Crusaders eventually responded through Chay Fihaki, but it felt like trying to stop a flood with a tea towel. The Chiefs simply kept coming. Leroy Carter crossed soon after entering the game, Tupou Vaa’i added another, and by halftime the scoreboard showed an astonishing 42-5.
Forty-two points. Against the Crusaders. In a semi-final. Somewhere, rugby statisticians were frantically checking whether the numbers were correct. The visitors’ night went from bad to worse when Leicester Fainga’anuku limped from the field before the break, while any lingering hopes of a miracle comeback disappeared early in the second half when Christian Lio-Willie’s effort was ruled out for a knock-on.
Captain David Havili eventually gave the travelling fans something to cheer with a powerful try, but by then the result had long since been decided. The only remaining question was how much history the Chiefs wanted to make. As it turned out, quite a bit.
A late Xavier Roe try lifted the hosts to 49 points, equalling their highest score ever against the Crusaders and completing their biggest victory over the competition’s most successful franchise. Most importantly, it delivered something they haven’t achieved since 2013: a finals victory over the Crusaders. For a generation of Chiefs supporters, that’s a monkey the size of Mount Ruapehu finally removed from their backs.
The only concern heading into next week’s Grand Final will be the sight of Quinn Tupaea battling through an ankle injury late in the match. The midfielder was one of the architects of the demolition, and his availability could be crucial regardless of whether the Chiefs face the Hurricanes or Blues in the decider.
But that’s a problem for another day. For now, Hamilton can celebrate. The Chiefs didn’t just beat the Crusaders. They buried them.
Three Things We Learned
The Chiefs Have Finally Exorcised Their Crusaders Demons – For years, the Chiefs have been one of the competition’s best teams during the regular season, only to run into the red-and-black brick wall when it mattered most. This wasn’t just a win; it was a statement. The psychological hurdle that has haunted them since 2013 has finally been cleared.
Lalakai Foketi picked the Perfect Time for His Best Match – The former Waratah was outstanding. His distribution, decision-making, and ability to expose defensive space were central to everything good the Chiefs produced. While Damian McKenzie will grab plenty of headlines, Foketi’s fingerprints were all over this result.
The Crusaders looked human – That may sound obvious, but the Crusaders’ finals teams rarely unravel like this. The errors mounted, the defence leaked points, and the composure that has defined so many championship runs simply wasn’t there. Whether it was fatigue, injuries, or just a Chiefs side playing near perfection, this was one of the most comprehensive finals defeats we’ve seen from a Crusaders outfit in the professional era.
The Hurricanes 57 defeated the Blues 21
Cane Train Rolls On: Hurricanes Hammer Blues To March Into Grand Final – Well, that’s that then. The Hurricanes have punched their ticket to the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final after turning a tight semi-final arm wrestle into an old-fashioned hiding, running away from the Blues 57-21 in Wellington.
For forty minutes, it looked like the Blues might just have enough firepower and experience to spoil the party. By full-time, the Canes had scored at will, cracked the half-century and reminded everyone exactly why they finished the regular season on top of the ladder. The opening minute set the tone for what would become another Cam Roigard masterclass. The Hurricanes’ halfback took a quick tap, shrugged off a mid-air tackle attempt from Beauden Barrett and raced away to put the home side immediately on the front foot.
Not long after, Jordie Barrett crashed over from close range as the Hurricanes threatened to blow the game apart early. To their credit, the Blues refused to fold. Caleb Clarke sliced through the defensive line before skipper Patrick Tuipulotu finished the movement a phase later to drag the visitors back into the contest.
The Hurricanes responded through the tireless Du’Plessis Kirifi, who continued his outstanding season by burrowing over from a driving maul. But with AJ Lam and Clarke both forced from the field following failed HIAs, the Blues looked vulnerable. Instead, replacement Payton Spencer injected life into the visitors. The young halfback produced a superb kick ahead for Cole Forbes and then backed up perfectly to finish the movement, giving the Blues a lead that few inside Hnry Stadium expected. The advantage wouldn’t last.
As has been the case all season, the Hurricanes simply found another gear. Xavier Numia powered over before the break to restore the lead, sending the home side to oranges with a narrow 19-14 advantage. Then the floodgates opened. The second half was a brutal exhibition of Hurricanes rugby.
A ferocious counter-ruck on the Blues’ line created the platform for Roigard to grab his second. Moments later, Josh Moorby exploded into space from deep inside his own half, eventually finishing off a movement of his own as the Hurricanes’ attack shifted into overdrive. When Asafo Aumua barrelled over for another five-pointer, the result was effectively settled. Three tries in ten minutes had transformed a tense semi-final into a celebration.
The Hurricanes weren’t done there. Ere Enari joined the party, Kini Naholo brought up the half-century, and Moorby crossed again after some slick handling carved the Blues apart one final time. Along the way, the Hurricanes became the first side to score 100 tries in a Super Rugby season — a statistic that perfectly captures the attacking menace they have brought to the competition in 2026.
For the Blues, it was a disappointing finish after fighting bravely for much of the opening hour. For the Hurricanes, it’s a return to the big dance for the first time since lifting their only Super Rugby title back in 2016. Now only the Chiefs stand between them and a second championship.
Three Things We Learned
The Hurricanes’ attack is simply unstoppable – Opposition coaches have spent the entire season trying to slow down the Hurricanes, and nobody has found the answer. Whether it’s Roigard around the ruck, Jordie Barrett through the middle, or their back three attacking broken play, they can score from anywhere on the field. Reaching 100 tries for the season isn’t just impressive — it’s ridiculous.
Cam Roigard is the best No.9 in the competition (and some would say the world) – If there was any lingering debate, this performance probably ended it. Roigard controlled the tempo, threatened defenders every time he touched the ball, and finished with two tries. With the Rugby Championship and Wallabies-All Blacks Tests looming later this year, Australian fans have every reason to be nervous.
The Chiefs-Hurricanes final is the matchup everyone wanted – The two best teams all season have earned the right to fight for the trophy. The Chiefs arrive after dismantling the Crusaders, while the Hurricanes have just steamrolled the Blues. Both sides play ambitious attacking rugby, both have elite playmakers, and both have proven they can score points in bunches. It should be an absolute belter of a Grand Final.
The Super Rugby Pacific 2026 Grand Final
Hurricanes and Chiefs Set Up All-Kiwi Decider as New Champion Awaits – Well, here we are again. After another brutal weekend of Super Rugby Pacific finals footy, the 2026 Grand Final is locked in, and it’ll be an all-New Zealand affair ( like when hasn’t it been!), with the Hurricanes hosting the Chiefs in Wellington next Saturday night.
The Crusaders’ reign is officially over, and not with a bang so much as a rather comprehensive Hamilton-based pantsing. For a side carrying the scars of three consecutive Grand Final defeats, Clayton McMillan’s men looked every bit like a team determined to make sure there isn’t a fourth.
That result alone would have been enough to get Kiwi rugby fans excited, but the Hurricanes weren’t about to let anyone steal their spotlight. The victory not only secured their place in the decider but also guaranteed home-ground advantage at a packed Hnry Stadium next weekend. Given the form they’ve shown throughout 2026, that’s a daunting prospect for anyone—Chiefs included.
For the Hurricanes, the Grand Final represents an opportunity to claim just the second Super Rugby title in the club’s history. Their only championship came a decade ago in 2016, and this current squad has looked like the competition’s benchmark side from Round 1.
Standing in their way will be a Chiefs outfit making an astonishing fourth consecutive Grand Final appearance. That’s the good news. The bad news is they’ve somehow managed to lose the previous three. The Chiefs have been one of the competition’s most consistent teams over the past four seasons, but consistency only gets you so far when you’re carrying that much emotional baggage into the final weekend.
From an Australian perspective, the results provide another painful reminder of the gulf that still exists between the two nations at Super Rugby level. The Brumbies and Reds had their moments throughout 2026, but when the finals intensity arrived, the New Zealand franchises once again asserted their dominance.
The silver lining? At least we can sit back, enjoy what promises to be an outstanding Grand Final, and pretend we’re scouting opposition for the Wallabies rather than watching another Kiwi coronation. Whatever happens next Saturday, one thing is certain: Super Rugby Pacific will have a new champion. The Crusaders are gone, the Hurricanes have home advantage, and the Chiefs are chasing redemption.
That’s a pretty tasty recipe for a Grand Final. Anyway, that is enough of this old fool gibbering on! Over to you, GAGRs! Have at it!