David Hill: Chiefs Assistant Coach on Super Rugby final

Blues captain Patrick Tuipolotu will make a remarkable return from a knee injury, playing lock in the starting side facing the Chiefs at Eden Park in the Super Rugby Pacific final tomorrow night. 

However - many of the 44,000 sold-out Eden Park crowd will be coming up from Hamilton.  

Chiefs Assistant Coach David Hill told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We understood last year that we had a really good squad – but ultimately we didn’t come away with the final.” 

Hill said “That experience – as harsh as it was – it really helped us.”  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We've got the Super Rugby Final tomorrow evening and while
the Blues have obviously been the favorites, the Chiefs are
a real threat after they beat the top seeded Hurricanes
in Wellington last weekend. David Hill is the Chiefs assistant coach.
David Hello, is this your year?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
We'll find out tomorrow, but we've got a good feeling
about it and things have been going well, so I
feel like we're.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Going to do a good creg Yeah, because tell me,
I mean, how are you guys? What's your mindset going
into this year after what happened last year? Because last
year was your year and then at the last minute
it wasn't. So does that make you mentally stronger or
does that create a kind of hoodoo?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Typically given us some experiences to fall back on, both
good and bad. But we understood last year that you know,
we had a really good squad, really settled and got
into a good groove and ultimately didn't didn't come away
with it in the final. That experience brought us that

(00:57):
the best team on the on the day is the
one that will come through, not so much the best
team all year. So that was our mindset last week.
The same this week. It's the best team on the day,
and whether you have won teen, eleven, twelve, thirteen or
fourteen games in around robin, it doesn't think you count
for much. So that experience is as harsh as it was,

(01:20):
as hard as it was to deal with last year's,
it definitely helped us. So we're different beast.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, and so in terms of the crowd support and stuff.
Have you got a lot of fans coming up?

Speaker 2 (01:31):
I would assume that expressways cut tripped down a little bit,
but we're expecting a good amount of you know, read
yet on black and no matter where you were born
or where you live, we're expecting it to be you know,
had some good support there.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, good stuff. Hey do you reckon? I mean, you
guys have got some brilliant players in the squad. Do
you reckon Damien McKenzie should actually be the first choice
first five for the Abs.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, it's a great question. Probably not one that I
can answer as I'm not a selector, but if I was,
it would be probably in the top three options, So
I'd be comfortable with somewhere in the team's us for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
What about the other two? Who's the other two?

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Then? No idea.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah you don't what hold on? You just said he'd
be in the top three, but you don't know who
the other two.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, yeah, so he'd be one. I don't know who
the other.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Two are, but he's totally Hey, are you up for
a super rugby shake up?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
I think trying to find a way to find a
product and a competition that that works. I definitely think
the the number of teams and the teams that can compete,
it's important to get the balance right. So yeah, pick
up Ard just a bit of a tweak I think
would be good.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, a little bit of a tweak or something drastic,
like what about the idea that you're able to swap
players and recruit them from different areas, Like maybe even
the Aussies can recruit some of our players?

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Uh? Yeah, well I'm not sure we'd take too many
of the Aussies, But yeah, I think that would be
a good conversation and good that would be good for
the for the competition. So open to that discussion. But
the obviously you have to be a bit of work
to be done. I can't imagine that happening in the
next couple of years, but yeah, you never know.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
You never know, David, Good luck for this weekend either way.
Either way, Like, let's be honest about it. How good
to not have the Crusaders there.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, I think I think there's a good portion of
the country that are that are bit confused now. They're
not sure who to cheer for because normally they cheer
for the team that's playing inst But yeah, I think
it's good for the competition. I think it's good and
you know they had a rough year, but no doubt
they'll be back. So it's yeah, it's our time, all
the Blues time.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Good stuff, David, best of luck and thank you for
your time. Mate. That's David Hill, Chiefs assistant coach see
Dead and hate the idea of swapping the players, although
we don't.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
He's quite right.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
We don't want any of the Aussie players, do we.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
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