May 31, 2025 • 7 mins
The top three heading into the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs have been confirmed after the Chiefs locked up top spot with a bonus-point 41-24 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin.
The Crusaders won the battle for second place after edging the third-placed Brumbies 33-31 in Canberra.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
So we have our Super Rugby Top six and at
the top of that pile, as they were two years ago,
we find the Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Strikes it down in the middle. It goes Mackenzie's been
good tonight and it is all over here at forsythe
Bar Stadium and the Chiefs running out winners by scoring
six tries to three against the gallant heart.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Of the side here the Chiefs finishing with victory in
Dunedin to finish top. They will welcome the Blues to
Hamilton next Saturday night. Chiefs head coaches Clayton McMillan, who
joins us now played on top of the table ten wins,
three losses, five wins in your last six. How do
you evaluate the base that you've built over the last
four months or so as you head into the Super
(00:56):
Rugby finals.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Pretty ash pointy. No, we haven't played perfect rugby, but
about playing your perfect rugby in the in the round robin.
It's about accumulating an understanding of where you want your
game to get to. Obviously trying to keep as many
of you your main bodies out on the field and
setting yourself up to have a decent run when you
(01:20):
get to the finals.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So you've scored the most points and conceded the fewest.
Which of those two things makes you happier?
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Probably the latter one. Yeah, Look, I think you know
we're a team that has an ability to be able
to score tries, but I want to limit the amount
we need to score by reducing the amount that the
opposition score. So tough, tough at this time of year
because he runs, you know, as you said, understands the
game well. Some some quality teams left in the finals.
(01:52):
So often I'll come down to your defensive if it's accuracy.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You said to me earlier this season when we spoke
that you'd never met a player who doesn't want to
start rugby matches, but you've often used the likes of
Summer squanting, Summer Penny, female courties, Latimar and others off
the bench. How have you framed those conversations with those players?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Pretty easy? Really, it's always ten first mentality, so they
understand that, you know, we're making decisions around selection and
the best interests of the team, and often those also
in the best interests of those individuals. So as much
as we'd all like to see them out there playing
eighty minutes of every game, it's pretty unrealistic, I think,
especially if you want them firing at the at the
(02:38):
business end of the season. So, yeah, we've managed to
rotate pretty well. We runs had a fair shake at
the tree, and you know, from this point forward, would
love to be in a position to be able to
seek down our side.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Just on that quinter pire, is he going to be
okay for the weekend ahead?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I'm sure at the stage he pulled up pretty well
after the game, but it's got a mess of shiner
and you know, we wouldn't want to put them under
any unnecessary pressure around getting out. The f is not
a percent, So he's past all of us at hiatis
but passing that and then actually been physically and ready
to go out and play as another story. So I've
(03:17):
got a week under our bouts, so we'll give them
every opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
You've beaten the Blues twice this season, but that seems
like an awfully long time ago. I think rounds one
and five or something like that. Are those wins in
any way relevant now?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Not really? No, you get the finals rugby, and everyone
has the seer has advanced the game, and we know
a lot more about each other, so you know, there's
no not too many surprises. And now Blues have bought
the game nicely over the last particularly over the last
couple of weeks, and I'll come on with a bit
of momentum and no shortage of confidence, so you know
(03:55):
we'll need to be at abbist.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
The new finals format means that by finishing top effectively,
you get a second life. If you happen to lose
on Saturday night, you are still there for the following week.
Can you still treat this like a knockout game?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Yeah? Yeah, He'll playing the Blues at home. So it's
a bit of a no brainer for us. But what
it does do is that sort of I wouldn't say
it releases the pressure velve, but you know, we're the
only team going into quarter finals week knowing that we're
going to be there the following week irrespective, but our
mindset will remain the same when no, that's only going
(04:34):
to go through a solid preparation week and respecting the
Blues what they bring and understanding that they're going to
be tough opposition.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
This feels a lot like twenty twenty three. I don't
know how you feel about that best team in the
regular season, you host of the final that year, lost
to the Crusaders. I mean that could happen again, You
could host the final against them again. Can you take
any lessons from twenty twenty three into finals in twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Oh? Really, it's a long time ago now. Yeah, you're
learning less every week every year. You know, there's something
to be taken from from you know, the opportunity is
won and loss throughout seasons. And you know we've been
we've been here at the business end a number of
times now and we understand the pressures that come with it.
(05:22):
We understand the expectation. We also understand that you've just
got to be at your best. You know, you can't
afford to have a pulled out the office otherwise good
night news. So every team, there's no team in this
competition coming in now that isn't aware of what's required
and there will be last man standing best menmuents.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, you arrive in good form, that an't you. You
must be and you said it right at the start.
You must be happy with with where you are as
we sit here today with you now with finals football
over the next three weekends.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Yeah, you're always searching for opportunity for growth. It's not
the times I sort of just you know, put the
foot on the on the on the break and think
you've got it all sorted. But you know, we've played
some good rugby over the last two or three weeks.
I found a bit of rhythm. I think we're probably
clearer on how we want to play the game and
(06:17):
really just comes down to execution on the day. So
you know, we haven't had everything our own way. Each
team challenges you in different ways and imagine that Blues
are going to be exactly the same.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Spoke to Roger Randall a couple of weeks ago and
he said that if you didn't know, you wouldn't know
that you were leaving at the end of this season.
How have you kept that off to one side?
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Pretty easy, really, it's it's a pretty focused team. And
you know we have said before we just put the
team first. In the new one's individual journey is you know,
a long distance second. So we just enjoyed coming into
work every day and we get really true to our
(07:00):
sort of premise of just focusing on the game's directly
in front of us, and we prepare well and we
know if we do that, then we give ourselves a
five chants and things about the change, and there'll be
other people that will move on and go into different
roles and what not postseason, but worry about that when
that when that arives.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Congrats on a terrific regular season, Clayton or Is, appreciate
the chat, All the best for the week ahead.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Mate, Andona's pony. Thanks mate, No, thank.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You, Clayton. Clayton McMillan.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
There for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen
live to News Talk said Be weekends from midday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
So we have our Super Rugby Top six and at
the top of that pile, as they were two years ago,
we find the Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Strikes it down in the middle. It goes Mackenzie's been
good tonight and it is all over here at forsythe
Bar Stadium and the Chiefs running out winners by scoring
six tries to three against the gallant heart.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Of the side here the Chiefs finishing with victory in
Dunedin to finish top. They will welcome the Blues to
Hamilton next Saturday night. Chiefs head coaches Clayton McMillan, who
joins us now played on top of the table ten wins,
three losses, five wins in your last six. How do
you evaluate the base that you've built over the last
four months or so as you head into the Super
(00:56):
Rugby finals.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Pretty ash pointy. No, we haven't played perfect rugby, but
about playing your perfect rugby in the in the round robin.
It's about accumulating an understanding of where you want your
game to get to. Obviously trying to keep as many
of you your main bodies out on the field and
setting yourself up to have a decent run when you
(01:20):
get to the finals.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So you've scored the most points and conceded the fewest.
Which of those two things makes you happier?
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Probably the latter one. Yeah, Look, I think you know
we're a team that has an ability to be able
to score tries, but I want to limit the amount
we need to score by reducing the amount that the
opposition score. So tough, tough at this time of year
because he runs, you know, as you said, understands the
game well. Some some quality teams left in the finals.
(01:52):
So often I'll come down to your defensive if it's accuracy.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You said to me earlier this season when we spoke
that you'd never met a player who doesn't want to
start rugby matches, but you've often used the likes of
Summer squanting, Summer Penny, female courties, Latimar and others off
the bench. How have you framed those conversations with those players?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Pretty easy? Really, it's always ten first mentality, so they
understand that, you know, we're making decisions around selection and
the best interests of the team, and often those also
in the best interests of those individuals. So as much
as we'd all like to see them out there playing
eighty minutes of every game, it's pretty unrealistic, I think,
especially if you want them firing at the at the
(02:38):
business end of the season. So, yeah, we've managed to
rotate pretty well. We runs had a fair shake at
the tree, and you know, from this point forward, would
love to be in a position to be able to
seek down our side.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Just on that quinter pire, is he going to be
okay for the weekend ahead?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I'm sure at the stage he pulled up pretty well
after the game, but it's got a mess of shiner
and you know, we wouldn't want to put them under
any unnecessary pressure around getting out. The f is not
a percent, So he's past all of us at hiatis
but passing that and then actually been physically and ready
to go out and play as another story. So I've
(03:17):
got a week under our bouts, so we'll give them
every opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
You've beaten the Blues twice this season, but that seems
like an awfully long time ago. I think rounds one
and five or something like that. Are those wins in
any way relevant now?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Not really? No, you get the finals rugby, and everyone
has the seer has advanced the game, and we know
a lot more about each other, so you know, there's
no not too many surprises. And now Blues have bought
the game nicely over the last particularly over the last
couple of weeks, and I'll come on with a bit
of momentum and no shortage of confidence, so you know
(03:55):
we'll need to be at abbist.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
The new finals format means that by finishing top effectively,
you get a second life. If you happen to lose
on Saturday night, you are still there for the following week.
Can you still treat this like a knockout game?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Yeah? Yeah, He'll playing the Blues at home. So it's
a bit of a no brainer for us. But what
it does do is that sort of I wouldn't say
it releases the pressure velve, but you know, we're the
only team going into quarter finals week knowing that we're
going to be there the following week irrespective, but our
mindset will remain the same when no, that's only going
(04:34):
to go through a solid preparation week and respecting the
Blues what they bring and understanding that they're going to
be tough opposition.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
This feels a lot like twenty twenty three. I don't
know how you feel about that best team in the
regular season, you host of the final that year, lost
to the Crusaders. I mean that could happen again, You
could host the final against them again. Can you take
any lessons from twenty twenty three into finals in twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Oh? Really, it's a long time ago now. Yeah, you're
learning less every week every year. You know, there's something
to be taken from from you know, the opportunity is
won and loss throughout seasons. And you know we've been
we've been here at the business end a number of
times now and we understand the pressures that come with it.
(05:22):
We understand the expectation. We also understand that you've just
got to be at your best. You know, you can't
afford to have a pulled out the office otherwise good
night news. So every team, there's no team in this
competition coming in now that isn't aware of what's required
and there will be last man standing best menmuents.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, you arrive in good form, that an't you. You
must be and you said it right at the start.
You must be happy with with where you are as
we sit here today with you now with finals football
over the next three weekends.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Yeah, you're always searching for opportunity for growth. It's not
the times I sort of just you know, put the
foot on the on the on the break and think
you've got it all sorted. But you know, we've played
some good rugby over the last two or three weeks.
I found a bit of rhythm. I think we're probably
clearer on how we want to play the game and
(06:17):
really just comes down to execution on the day. So
you know, we haven't had everything our own way. Each
team challenges you in different ways and imagine that Blues
are going to be exactly the same.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Spoke to Roger Randall a couple of weeks ago and
he said that if you didn't know, you wouldn't know
that you were leaving at the end of this season.
How have you kept that off to one side?
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Pretty easy, really, it's it's a pretty focused team. And
you know we have said before we just put the
team first. In the new one's individual journey is you know,
a long distance second. So we just enjoyed coming into
work every day and we get really true to our
(07:00):
sort of premise of just focusing on the game's directly
in front of us, and we prepare well and we
know if we do that, then we give ourselves a
five chants and things about the change, and there'll be
other people that will move on and go into different
roles and what not postseason, but worry about that when
that when that arives.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Congrats on a terrific regular season, Clayton or Is, appreciate
the chat, All the best for the week ahead.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Mate, Andona's pony. Thanks mate, No, thank.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You, Clayton. Clayton McMillan.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
There for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen
live to News Talk said Be weekends from midday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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