The Chiefs will bid farewell to versatile Canadian forward Tyler Ardron at the end of June.
A total of seven brand new names will feature under Clayton McMillan for his single year stint as head coach, bringing together what he says is enough x-factor for what will be a gruelling campaign
Castres Olympique threw out the old after a forgettable coronavirus-curtailed season and head into the 2020/21 campaign with a new - more youthful - look.
Despite a promising start, 2020 was a dud year for the Chiefs and new coach Warren Gatland. The team still has a great backbone from which they can build next year, providing that some astute recruitment is performed over the coming months.
While broadly speaking clubs across Europe have tightened their belts over the course of a locked-down 2020, the Top 14 have managed to get out their checkbooks out.
Chiefs fans will be cursing these accursed sabbaticals while their team, 4-2 by mid-March, and still well in the mix to win its third Super Rugby crown.
Gatland’s not a clown. He might have a tight five that aren’t particularly dominant, but he remains one of the finest and most successful coaches this country has ever produced.
While taking out the Super Rugby Aotearoa title with just six wins from eight matches is entirely possible, doing so with just five victories under the belt seems unlikely at best. The Chiefs desperately need the win against the Crusaders this weekend.