Emoni Narawa and the best of wingers in Super Rugby final history

Emoni Narawa is quick on the draw, so let’s get straight to the point. Why will the Chiefs win the Super Rugby Pacific final against the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday?

“We’re no strangers to finals footy. We know exactly what to expect, and we want to create something special,” Narawa told RugbyPass.

“The last two finals are the elephant in the room. We’ve learned from them. The Crusaders have a great forward pack and backline, with X-factor players everywhere. How we prepare and sticking to our roles will determine our success.”

The Chiefs have outscored the Crusaders 74-43 in two previous meetings this season. Have finals jitters been eliminated? A 20-19 defeat to the Blues in the first round of the playoffs raises some doubts.

However, two tries by Narawa in a convincing 37-17 victory over the Brumbies last Saturday suggest the Chiefs are back on track.

“It was a good performance. Our forwards played well and set the platform, and Damian McKenzie had his kicking boots on.

“Scoring tries is always great, and in finals, it’s even better on the bigger stage. For my first try, I looked up and saw no one there, so I picked the ball. My second try was easy and was down to Leroy Carter doing his thing.”

Narawa and Carter have been the most active and clinical pair of wingers in Super Rugby. Combined, they have played 2,065 minutes, carried the ball 216 times for 1,359 meters, beaten 68 defenders, and scored 15 tries.

Defensively, they’ve made 45 kicks and 144 tackles, resulting in 15 turnovers. Narawa has made 63 tackles with as many dominant hits as misses. Both Carter and Narawa scored tries in their last trip to Christchurch, which resulted in a 35-19 win over the Crusaders. Can the dynamic duo replicate their form together in the All Blacks?

“I think it’s been a really tight competition with all the wingers,” Narawa said.

“I’m currently on the outside looking in. Timoci Tavatavanawai has been performing really well, and Sevu Reece has been impressive too. For me, it’s about controlling what I can.

“I’m going to put my best foot forward for the Chiefs, and hopefully, the opportunity will come.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

3

Draws

0

Wins

2

Average Points scored

28

31

First try wins

40%

Home team wins

60%

Former All Black Sevens gun Carter is uncapped. Narawa has played two All Blacks Tests, scoring a try on debut in a 41-12 win against Argentina in 2023. However, an injury prevented him from attending the Rugby World Cup, and he earned his next cap in a 47-5 victory against Fiji in 2024.

Now, back to Saturday’s match: the Crusaders lead the Chiefs 29-22 in all matchups and have won the 2021 and 2023 finals against them. However, the Chiefs have won five of their last seven Super Rugby Pacific games against the Crusaders, including their last two in a row. The only time they’ve won more consecutive games against the Crusaders was during a four-game streak from Round 3, 2015, to Round 15, 2016.

The Chiefs have won three of their last five Super Rugby Pacific games against the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium, but they haven’t won back-to-back games against them at that venue since 2016.

The Chiefs’ most famous playoff victories against the Crusaders came in the 2012 and 2013 semi-finals, after which they went on to win their only two championships.

Wingers in Super Rugby Finals

Wingers have a notable history of achievement in Super Rugby finals. In the first Super Rugby final at Eden Park in 1996, the late All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu scored a try in the Blues’ 45-21 victory over the Sharks. The Sharks managed to score two tries, one of which was by the late James Small, who won the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and had 28 wins and 20 tries in 47 Tests for the Springboks.

The Blues’ two-year reign as champions was ended by the Crusaders, who won 20-13 at Eden Park in 1998, with Crusaders winger James Kerr scoring the winning try. Coming from a National championship-winning Gisborne Boys’ High School First XV, Kerr played 141 first-class games and represented six New Zealand teams.

In 1999, Samoan international Afato So’oalo stood up teammate Brian “The Chiropractor” Lima, scoring a stunning chip-and-chase try from halfway during the Crusaders’ 24-19 upset of the Highlanders in Dunedin.

Points Flow Chart

Chiefs win +16

Time in lead

40

Mins in lead

35

49%

% Of Game In Lead

43%

48%

Possession Last 10 min

52%

0

Points Last 10 min

7

The Brumbies’ Joe Roff is the only player to have scored twice in finals on two occasions. He achieved this feat in the Brumbies’ 36-6 triumph over the Sharks in 2001 and again in a 47-40 victory against the Crusaders in 2004. In the 2004 final, Mark Gerrard became the first winger to score a hat-trick in a decider. Over his career, Gerrard made 79 appearances for the Brumbies, scoring 27 tries and achieving 46 victories.

In the 2007 final, Bryan Habana emulated Kerr’s achievement by scoring in the last minute for the Bulls during their nail-biting 20-19 victory over the Sharks. In 2009, Habana scored two tries, including a trademark intercept try, during the Bulls’ record 61-17 defeat of the Chiefs in Pretoria. Lelia Masaga had scored in the first minute for the Chiefs. Habana scored 56 tries and achieved 82 victories in 118 Super Rugby games for the Bulls and Stormers.

Crusaders winger Sevu Reece is Super Rugby’s all-time leading try scorer, with 66 tries in 87 games. In the 2021 New Zealand final against the Chiefs, he scored the first try in a 24-13 victory. He followed that performance with a try in the 21-7 defeat of the Blues in 2022, ending the Blues streak of 15 consecutive wins. In 2024, Caleb Clarke scored three tries in the Blues decisive 41-10 victory over the Chiefs. The Blues finished the season with an imperious record of 15 wins and two losses.