Clayton McMillan: Chiefs Coach ahead of the Super Rugby Final against the Blues

It all comes down to Saturday, as the Chiefs face the Blues in the Super Rugby Final. 

They’re playing before a sold-out Eden Park, kick-off at 7:05pm. 

Chiefs Coach Clayton McMillan told Mike Hosking that while they lost their way a bit in the middle of the season, it was a reflection of them acknowledging some shifts they needed to make in their game, and then they got it going right at the end of the season. 

He said that the Blues are probably the form team in terms of consistency, very direct, very powerful, and they need to go up there confident in their own ability and give it everything they’ve got. 

McMillan said playing the Blues a few weeks ago gave them a feel for where they could make some shifts in the game, and they took on some good lessons from the loss. 

“We’ll put them under just as much pressure as they’ll put us under.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
After being a Friday morning, of course, but we've got
to Super Rugby Finals time. The Chiefs roll up the
road to Eden Park to take on the Blues that
has sold out Eden Parker Chiefs coach Clinton McMillan is
with us on all of us. Clayton, very good morning
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Tell us about your season. How do you feel that's
gone for you, given there's been so much hype and
noise around, how you've come right at just the right time.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, I'll look, we got off to a bit of
a flyer at the stand of the season, sort of
lost our way a little bit in the middle, probably
a affection of us acknowledging that we needed to make
some shifts in our game and at times made us
a little bit clunky, but still managed to talk up
enough ones to guarantee you guarantee yourselves a quarter fine
home quarterfinal with a couple of rounds of spear, and

(00:45):
that allowed us to fish in a few bodies up
and then it was sort of got our game going
at the right end of the season, actually, and go
one more?

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Would you I know I haven't said that was what
you did last week? Would you be disappointed if you
couldn't finish it properly.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Oh, every game is different, you know, Like we've we've
managed to get up two weeks in a row. Last
week obviously took our physical toll on the side, losing
a couple of key starters, but you know, we've freshened
up well and we just respect what the Blues have
done this year. They've been, you know, really probably theformed

(01:21):
team in terms of their consistency right throughout the season.
Haven't waivered too far from the game. It's week for them,
very direct. We're powerful, great set piece, so we go
up there confident in our own ability. But now that
we're going to have to go and and everything that.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
We get exactly, have you got a plan specifically to
them for that game.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, it's one of the benefits of only haven't played
them sort of three weeks ago, get a bit of
a feel for you know, we can make some shifts
in your game, and we're the margins. We're in the
loss for us, so I feel like we've taken on
some good lessons and obviously we've performed a lot better
in the last couple of weeks. It will put them
under just as much pressure as they'll put us under.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Good some of the newer players, do you have to
have a word with them about the occasion and the
psychology of it all, or you're all on board together
and set the go.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
And some of our experienced guys and coaches get around
some of the younger guys who it will be the
first time they're played in front of a significant crowded
in the final, particularly a few that have probably grabbed
the headlines in the media of the last few weeks
through their performances. They're the ones that we probably get
around and just make sure that I understand that this
is not about, you know, a big play making a

(02:36):
big play. It's about just being consistent in the things
that have probably put them in the headlines. And if
the team does well, individuals will prosper.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
How many at the park do you reckon they're going
to be Chiefs fans?

Speaker 2 (02:50):
I'm hoping about twenty five thousand, Yeah, not a big
not a big drive out to even part from to
these days. And there's a link that went out earlier
in the week for members, and I think they got
distributed amongst their rugby fraternity pretty quickly, so a lot

(03:10):
of people jumped on board and got tickets and yeah,
there's a bit of history of white offs of fans,
Chiefs fans heading up the road and am enjoying some success,
so I hoping that that continues.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Good stuff. Good to talk to you and go well
this weekend. Clayton McMillan, who is the Chiefs coach of course.
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