Barrett pips McKenzie, shades of Leinster

Barrett’s kicking game, both long and short, was pinpoint accurate, finding and exploiting any open blade of grass. The 34-year-old had the work rate and pace to win the race and recollect his contestable kicks, making game-breaking plays in a game that nullified so many world-class attacking threats.

McKenzie had his moments, delivering a crisp pass to Daniel Rona for the centre’s try and nailing most of his kicks. However, the one kick that got away was the one that cost the Chiefs dearly. That’s all there was in it, with a one-point loss no doubt set to haunt the marksman for the coming week, at least.

With All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson in attendance, Barrett’s performance was a healthy statement that the veteran is aging like fine wine. He is the incumbent at 10 for New Zealand, and for the 2015 world champion to step up in a moment like this is exactly what selectors want to see from their stars.

McKenzie and the Chiefs earned themselves a lifeline with their top-seeded finish, so they will feature in next week’s semi-finals, where McKenzie will have a chance to respond.

Lineout wobbles

In an otherwise world-class performance from stand-in captain Tupou Vaa’i, the Chiefs’ lineout came undone and never recovered in Hamilton.

Vaa’i has received no shortage of praise for his growth in the set-piece game, having studied under the tutelage of the great Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick throughout his professional career. Yet, the All Black’s calls were easily read by the Blues, and even when they weren’t, the move execution was seriously lacking.

The Chiefs’ lineout has been exposed at times in 2025, and Laghlan McWhannell was most certainly up to the challenge of disrupting Chiefs ball on Saturday evening.

Vaa’i was one of, if not the Chiefs’ best player on the park and had an impact on the game with his carries, defence and pressure around the ruck, while making life very difficult for the Blues’ halfbacks. But if the Chiefs can’t get their lineout back on track, it will be very difficult to survive 80 minutes against a team like the Brumbies or Crusaders.

Shades of Leinster

The impact unit tactic is amazing, when it works. The Chiefs have been the most ambitious Super Rugby side in that respect throughout this season, and doubled down on it for the qualifying final.

Wallace Sititi, one of the biggest names in the game after his breakthrough 2024 campaign, was named on the bench for the first week of the 2025 playoffs. That may not be the case next week, given how this one played out.

The parallels between this loss and Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat have to be made, because the dramatic loss for the Irish heavyweights featured an impact performance from star recruit Jordie Barrett.

While teams like the Springboks have proven just how influential strong benches can be, there’s clearly a lesson here not to take that tactic too far.

There is now a ton of pressure on the Chiefs, who have stumbled at the final hurdle consistently over recent seasons, albeit against world-class opposition.

It is nothing short of commendable and deserving of the utmost respect, making it to the final in a competition like Super Rugby, but it’s a cruel world for teams who make that stage and fall short consecutively. Just ask Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, who became the butt of Footlocker ad jokes for losing time and time again to none other than Michael Jordan in the NBA finals.

Indiscipline pays

Thankfully, for the France-bound 30-year-old, the sour taste of putting your side down a man with a brain fade was soon replaced by the taste of victory.

The same cannot be said, however, for Samipeni Finau. The All Blacks bruiser frequently plays with fire, ensuring the opposing 10s never feel too comfortable, both physically and mentally.

The blindside was caught out with one hit on Beauden Barrett, surrendering a penalty when his side could ill afford to do so, and the last few minutes were far from his best work.

The 26-year-old ended the contest with a game-high four penalties conceded, and was the guilty party when the Blues were given advantage in the dying moments. Those late Chiefs penalties were critical.

With an opportunity in the All Blacks back row up for grabs, Finau will need to stay out of trouble next week to start rebuilding selectors’ trust in him.

Wait, could the Blues actually do it again?

Going back-to-back in Super Rugby is no mean feat, despite what the Crusaders taught us.

As much of a story as stats tell, and as much star power teams may have, winning when the stakes are highest often comes down to pure hustle, grit, and belief. In rugby, that’s amplified even further.

The Blues have championship experience now, and they proved what that counts for in Hamilton. Their defence was unbelievable.

The Chiefs have come up against impregnable defensive lines before this season, forcing the Crusaders to make more than 200 tackles. While that contest in Christchurch saw the hosts make over 90 per cent of their stops, they did so while surrendering metres due to the sheer power of the Chiefs pack.

The Blues had passages where the Chiefs got on top and were playing with lightning-quick ball, but were able to slow things down before try-scoring opportunities emerged.

Last season, the Blues were posting historic numbers defensively, and have shown periodically in 2025 that DNA is still there. The question is, can they repeat that effort for another two weeks?

For the Chiefs, key absences like Quinn Tupaea, the fifth most heavily employed ball-carrier in the competition this season, and their captain, Luke Jacobson, certainly had an impact on their attack, even if the likes of Gideon Wrampling, who led the game with 22 tackles, made an impression in the stars’ respective absences.