Simon Graafhuis: Chiefs CEO ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs this weekend

The Super Rugby Pacific playoffs are upon us. 

The three-week series kicks off tonight, and the Chiefs are currently sitting in the top spot on the table.  

They’ll clash with the Blues tomorrow night in the only Kiwi derby in the qualifying finals. 

CEO Simon Graafhuis told Mike Hosking a good game can always be expected between the two teams. 

However, when it comes to the finals, he’s expecting the Chiefs will be facing off against the Crusaders or Hurricanes, as both teams are tracking well. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Super Rugby playoff time. Crusaders reads tonight in christ Church.
Hurricanes are in Canberrall with the Rumby's top of the
table Chiefs hosts the Blues. Of course, the chief CEO
of Simon Grafis is whether Simon.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Morning, Mordina, How are you, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm very well, indeed you excited about the weekend, the
prospects and all of that.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Yeah, very exciting. I mean of this is your business
end of the season and you can always expect a
good game between the Blues and the Chiefs, and I
don't think yeah, I think tomorrow will be exactly the same.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
What have the numbers been like, crowds, bottom line, all
that sort of stuff for you?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
I mean, I think you know, like a lot of
the lot of a lot of the country. Commercially, it
has been pretty tough numbers. We get affected to by
weather and weather in the draw, so the draw hasn't
been great for us. With a couple of Friday games
and holiday weekends too make it a bit tough on
this part of the world. But certainly saw really good crowds.

(00:55):
It's really good crowd for Mina Pascifica, and good numbers
for this weekend. That's really good.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
And Mowana Pacific has seemed to have enhanced the competition.
I don't think I'm wrong in saying that. If you
if you look at the competition, you want quality, an
inability to predict an outcome, and better teams. And I
think they provided some of that, haven't they?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah? Absolutely? And look I think you know the fans
are they good? Good, good group of fans. We're competitive
in players style, it's a little bit different. So I
think all of that added to the comp and you know,
they went so close to making the top six, which
is when you look at the teams that are in there,
that shows the quality of the side they are.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
To be honest, the lucky loser thing, I mean, that's dumb.
Who thought of that?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
I don't know, but I might have had that thought.
But now that on top we're top spot, I actually
think it's a brilliant concept. You like it?

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Who are you going to play in the final?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Thing? Oh? Chief is it? Well? Could could be anyone.
You know, you look at the Hurricanes, they're going, well,
I think it's probably going to be a Crusaders or
Well or Hurricanes. I think they're probably they're peaking quite nicely.

(02:14):
They get a win, that might be that might be
a huge battle. Hopefully they get up for a win
maybe and be a good local derby between the Crusaders
and the Hurricanes next week in the Hummy would be,
would be a good game.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
A couple of quick things while I've got you this
World Cup competition though we're talking about recently. Are you
into that? Is that an idea? Would the Crusaders or
the Chiefs go to play some Northern Hemisphere teams? Would
that be a thing?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah? Absolutely. I mean the New Zealand New Zealand Super
Teams have been on board right from the start for that.
But that's a great opportunity to take our teams and
brands globally and I think you know, that's a good
way to connect to everyone wonders how their team will
go against the best in the Northern Hemisphere. So I
think as a concept that will go really well. It's

(02:58):
just about adding the time frame, getting the time frames
right and making sure it works commercially. For taking fifty
people to the Northern Hemisphere is not cheap. But I
think it's a concept, no brilliant, brilliant idea good stuff.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Simon, you go well this weekend. Nice to talk to you.
Simon Grafis, when you say it's taking fifty people at
the Northern Hemisphere is not cheap, is correct because I
looked at taking two people at the Northern Hemisphere and
that wasn't cheap either. It was so not cheap, we're
not going. That's how that worked.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
For more from the my Casking Breakfast. Listen live to
news talks.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.