'Desperation': McMillan reacts to star player's try-saving tackle

The 2025 Super Rugby Pacific final is set, with a rematch of the 2023 final scheduled to take place between the Crusaders and the Chiefs in Christchurch next Saturday night.

It didn’t come without any trouble for the No.1 seeded regular season Chiefs, after losing in the first week of the playoffs against the Blues, but retaining a place in the playoffs as the “lucky loser”.

Clayton McMillan’s side from Hamilton managed to bounce back at home against a high-quality Brumbies side in a do-or-die matchup, comfortably beating the Australian-based franchise 37-17.

Chiefs winger Emoni Narawa was exceptional with ball in hand scoring a double to put the Chiefs out to a comfortable lead, before All Blacks and Chiefs first-five Damian McKenzie came out of nowhere and held the ball up over the line just as Tom Wright thought he had scored.

The decision went up to the television match official as a try, but the TMO quickly ruled McKenzie’s hand to be under the ball the whole time.

The 50-year-old Chiefs head coach was quick to praise his star player, describing it as “desperation”.

“It was huge, yeah when they scored their try it was going to be game on again, and these folks have been talking out on the field around, sort of getting a buffer and then sort of really trying to squeeze them out of the game,” McMillan told media post-match in Hamilton.

“But it’s little moments like that, if they score, they’re right back in it. So the desperation, the hustle, and just the nouse to get your hand underneath the ball, that was a phenomenal effort.”

Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson explains the process on the field, where the Chiefs were preparing for a kickoff.

“He’s huge, I mean, from one moment, we’re talking about a kickoff with a lot narrower of a game and then the next moment we’ve got a 22 dropout and we got the chance to get an excellent chase line put some pressure on.

“So it happened pretty quickly, but yeah, those are big-effort players. I know Damian (McKenzie) was disappointed with his defence on one of the earlier tries, and it’s just the character he is, he doesn’t go away,” Jacobson told media after the match in Hamilton.

McMillan, who has coached his last game at FMG Stadium Waikato for the Chiefs before he leaves for Munster next season, admits that he spent some time after the game reflecting.

“Again I’m really trying not to talk about this occasion about myself because it actually isn’t about me, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, not pre match, I really didn’t give it much thought, but I probably spent the longest time I have in history out there just soaking up the occasion and signing all the autographs, today’s going to be the last day that I get to do that.”

McMillan believes his team in the past have tried to overplay in the big games, and hopes his team will just be themselves next week against the Crusaders.

“We’ve just got to chuck everything at it, we’ve been here before, and we’re under no illusion as to what it takes to get the job done, but you can know what to do, but you’re still going to be able to actually deliver on the day.

“I think one of our achilles heel on the field in the past has been that we wanted something so bad that it literally just becomes a little bit like you try too hard, and I think all we have to do is ourselves and do what we’ve done all year.

“Play Chiefs rugby, work hard for each other, nail the small moments apply enough pressure on the Crusaders that they feel their pressure.

“If you win enough of those, then you give yourself a good chance of walking away with the title.”