Jono Gibbes on the Luke Jacobson message that flipped the Chiefs’ season

Chiefs head coach Jono Gibbes has credited Luke Jacobson’s leadership for the dominant performance against the Crusaders, where they booked their place in a fourth-straight Super Rugby Pacific final.

Jacobson’s message in the changing room post-defeat at Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium in round 15 clearly motivated his side after a disappointing loss.

Not only did the Chiefs clinch another final berth on Friday night, but the Hamilton-based franchise did it emphatically, running in six tries during the first half against the Crusaders.

“I probably just go back to an internal moment that we had actually in the changing shed after the Crusaders game, and I think Luke Jacobson gave an outstanding message to the group there in that moment, and that message, that learning from that game served us in the last few weeks,” Gibbes told media in Hamilton post-match.

“We took that experience and used it, and we won the game that mattered against the Crusades, we lost two other round robin games, and we managed to get on the right side of the game that was knockout.

“So, for us, that’s the satisfaction. The margin of points is the byproduct of the effort that’s gone in, but the satisfaction is what we learned three weeks ago from Luke’s point, and we’ve worked our way through each week. ”

Jacobson, who’s played 24 Tests for the All Blacks since making his debut in 2019, addressed his team after their 36-32 defeat on May 22, saying that this won’t be the last time they see the Crusaders in 2026.

“Well, I think he just dealt with what we can take out of the two games, having to play the Crusaders for both games,” Gibbes explained.

“What opportunities that we had, what moments that we had, that we possibly didn’t control, and that we knew we were going to have to meet them somewhere in the finals.

“And that we would have the opportunity to show in a playoff game the things that we’ve learned in our hard-fought wisdom, and we’d be able to put those things into practice.”

The Super Rugby Pacific grand-final will take place at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Saturday night at 7:05pm NZT, between the Hurricanes and the Chiefs.