Crusaders-Chiefs thriller as good as rugby gets, so how do we get more Super Rugby like it?

          • Sam BruceMay 24, 2026, 07:56 PM ET
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              Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia's digital rugby coverage.
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          Super Rugby Pacific's regular season has reached an abrupt conclusion, albeit with one round to play.

          The six teams playing finals football were decided on the weekend, with only the final finishing order of positions 3-6 still to be determined.

          CRUSADERS-CHIEFS THRILLER AS GOOD AS IT GETS - SO MAYBE KIRWAN IS RIGHT?

          Friday night's New Zealand derby in Christchurch had all the makings of a Super Rugby classic: Two teams at the top of their game, perfect conditions in the covered One NZ Stadium, and a sell-out crowd. But what the Crusaders and Chiefs produced exceeded all expectations.

          Ten tries, four lead changes and one desperate final surge to snatch it, the Crusaders eventually held on 36-32 with skipper David Havili's 77th minute try proving the final score. This was a throwback to the Crusaders-Chiefs games of the early 2010's when the two Kiwi sides produced a succession of top-shelf encounters, but none as good as what we saw in Christchurch last Friday.

          The speed and skill in this game was outrageous, Havili's match-winner coming after he had boomed a 22/22 kick he could not have struck any better.

          The 68-point classic came just a few days after All Blacks great John Kirwan told the Rivals podcast that Super Rugby, after 30 years, was done.

          "I believe that Super Rugby has been amazing for us for the last 30 years but I think it's over. I think we need to redefine it, we need to understand what it is, and I believe that we need to get back to tribalism and traditionalism," he said on the Rivals podcast.

          "If it was me, I would bring in another three New Zealand sides and I would say to the Australians, 'why don't you bring back Randwick?'

          "But also, the other thing that needs to change in rugby is we need to divide up the money differently. We need some television rights for the franchises so they can start being professional and start surviving by themselves."

          The question for Kirwan, and the broader New Zealand rugby diaspora, many of whom share similar sentiments, is: Do you get the same quality of game if you move away from the current Super Rugby setup, one that will revert to a 10-team competition next year?

          Bringing in three more New Zealand teams would only dilute New Zealand's player base, which is already facing up to its biggest player drain yet, with nine All Blacks already confirmed to be heading offshore at the end of the season.

          What about dispensing with Australia then, and reverting to a Super Rugby Aotearoa competition that is a beefed-up version of the NPC?

          While the tribalistic nature of such a competition may resonate with fans, NZR have previously been concerned about the onset of monotony - that was the case with SRA in the COVID years anyway - while the NPC has long had its financial issues.

          As for Kirwan's calls to bring in "Randwick" from Australia and other leading clubs in Sydney and Brisbane; how exactly would you choose who would, and who wouldn't, make the cut? And those clubs are semi-professional, at the absolute best. Club rugby in Australia is in good shape and should be left to build on the progress it has made in recent years.

          So what's the answer then? Kirwan's ideas shouldn't completely be cast aside, and he is right when he says that all Super Rugby franchises are struggling for money, while the current broadcast deal is locked away through 2030.

          Simply, Super Rugby Pacific needs Australia's four franchises, and the Fijian Drua, to be more competitive. Having all three qualifying finals in New Zealand - which is likely to be the case this year - is not a good outcome for the competition.

          If the tournament is to truly resonate with rugby fans once more, and pull in more fringe support, then Australian teams must challenge for the top two. And a potential move to a conference system would help change that.

          In the meantime, another classic looms in the final round of the regular season as the No. 1 seeded Hurricanes head south to Christchurch, while the defending champions and the Chiefs are likely to cross paths once more during the finals. And the decider on June 20 will be one you simply can't miss.

          GORDON BACK GOAL-KICKING AS REDS GET OUT OF JAIL

          Queensland Reds remain an enigma this season, after they escaped Auckland with a win over Moana Pasifika and secured their place in the finals by doing so.

          The Reds looked to have this game sewn up at 26-7 after Treyvon Pritchard crossed for his second try of the season, only for Moana to roar back into the contest and take the lead when Israel Leota added to his season highlight reel and Patrick Pellegrini kicked a penalty goal thereafter.

          In the end it was left to a short-side break from Josh Flook and a brilliant Jock Campbell finish to see the Reds to victory, breaking Pasifika hearts in their final home game in the process.

          The Reds had earlier played some sparkling rugby, with Tim Ryan scoring one of the tries of the season that included some superb handling from Flook and No. 8 Harry Wilson.

          After a quieter second season in 2025, Ryan has put his name back into Wallabies conversations this year in what is a bloated Australian outside back cohort.

          But perhaps the most interesting part of Saturday's clash was the fact that Carter Gordon was kicking goals for the first time this year. The playmaker had left that responsibility to Campbell and scrum-half Louis Werchon for much of the season, but he stepped up in Albany and slotted three of his four shots at goal.

          If he is to be the Wallabies No. 10, then the expectation will be that he is kicking goals, too. That is unless Joe Schmidt and later Les Kiss are entertaining the prospect of starting Ryan Lonergan at No. 9, which is certainly something the Brumbies halfback's form warrants.

          WARATAHS' SEASON REVIEW WILL HOLD FEW MYSTERIES

          NSW have missed the playoffs for the third straight season and second straight year under coach Dan McKellar. While they have one more competition point than last year ahead of a final-round clash with the Force, they have one fewer win - which suggests they have largely plateaued in 2026.

          What will have infuriated McKellar and the fans that travelled to Allianz Stadium on Friday night is that they played enough rugby in the first 40 to win three games of footy, yet still went to the break 14-0 down.

          And no passage of play told the story of their season more than Sid Harvey's bombed try, which came after some sparkling play from Max Jorgensen and Harry Potter.

          McKellar attempted to hide his frustration by screaming into his hands, but his fury was clear for all to see. And those long-suffering NSW supporters will have felt exactly the same thing.

          Harvey has had an excellent first year and will likely win the competition's Rookie of the Year award, but his hands have let him down in at least three separate try-scoring situations this season.

          The creation of opportunities has meanwhile not been the Waratahs' issue this season, just the finishing of them. It cost them a potential win over the Blues earlier in the year, so too across the ditch in Dunedin a fortnight ago.

          In Sydney last Friday, they were camped inside the Brumbies' 22 for much of the first half, yet failed to make any imprint on the scoreboard. The visitors had no such issue, first-half tries to Billy Pollard and Cadeyrn Neville the result of dominant forward play inside their attacking red zone.

          IT CERTAINLY WAS KIDS' ROUND

          One thing Super Rugby Pacific officials have done well in recent years is make the competition more fan friendly. From trial laws to social media engagement, including consistent branding between New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, the "fan first" mantra has been a key success story.

          Kids' Round on the weekend was no different, with thousands of smiling faces seen across the weekend's fixtures.

          There was a lighter moment, too, when Hurricanes fly-half Ruben Love got a dressing down from referee Angus Gardner for some bad language, the No. 10 told it was "Kids' Round" and he should watch his tongue accordingly.