Rob Penney reflects on blowout Crusaders farewell

The Crusaders’ 2026 season ended on Friday night in Hamilton, and with it, so did head coach Rob Penney’s time at the helm.

Penney’s hopes of giving his 2025 title a sibling persisted until the final quarter of the semi-final loss to the Chiefs, despite his side trailing by 30 points. A first-half Chiefs onslaught left the Crusaders trailing 42 points to five at the break, with captain David Havili striking in the 62nd minute to offer a faint glimpse of hope for a comeback.

The coach says his faith only fell away when the improbable became impossible, trusting his team’s championship DNA right up until their fate was sealed.

“We felt that with 20 to go, we were in this. It would need to take a special performance, but we trusted the group. We’ve got a special group of men,” Penney told reporters postgame.

“But obviously, the reality, with the quality of the Chiefs’ set-piece, was just a yard too far for us to combat, and that really took a toll on the back end of the game. They just squeezed us.”

Taking a broader look at the match, Penney recognised his team was blown off the park in the opening period.

“Obviously, there’s no coming back from the reality of what that was. The Chiefs were magnificent in that first 30. We probably primed them a bit with a few uncharacteristic errors, but I’m so proud of the way the boys turned around after halftime and showed the character and grit that you’d expect. We just missed a beat in the first half…

“With the quality of the Chiefs boys, they make a half-hole, and they punish you. Unfortunately, they were creating those half-holes. Once they got momentum, the bounce of the ball went with them, too, and that compounded.

“They deserve all the plaudits. But I’m extremely proud of the season the lads have had, how much growth we’ve got out of some of the young ones, and the leadership of Davey (Havili) and his group to get the group to this position.”

The honesty and praise for the Chiefs’ performance continued when Havili was asked for his thoughts on the match.

“I don’t think we felt off, the Chiefs just brought an intensity that we couldn’t handle in that first 15 minutes, and they put points on us early.

“I think that performance from them was building for a few years now… When everything goes on the line, you put everything into it. They would have had a lot of motivation, and so did we. They started very well, you’ve got to applaud them for that, and we couldn’t wrestle the game back.

“I’m just content with how our season’s gone, very proud to wear this jersey and very proud to be able to lead these boys. There’s still a lot we can take from this season.”

Penney says he’s unsure what the future holds for him, with former Crusaders and All Blacks attack coach Scott Hansen set to take his place next season, but he’s planning on doing “a bit of fishing” in the meantime.

“It’s been an amazing experience. It’s a wonderful group of men to work with, fantastic staff, both in the frontline coaching-wise and through the medical into the performance, but also the administration.

“I’ll look back on this experience very, very fondly. I’ve loved the boys, loved the commitment they put in. Hopefully there’s a really good depth developing of young men that are going to carry on the legacy.”

Havili, who was promoted to captain by Penney ahead of the 2025 season, described the coach as “one of the best” he’d had.

“Coach has been amazing. It obviously started tough, but he’s the glue for our franchise. He steered the ship when we needed him. He gives us a lot of understanding of what we need to achieve as a leadership group, and he lets us go about our work.

“The best thing about him is that he’s just a great man, a very good leader, and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with Pens. I can’t speak highly enough of him.

“It’s going to be tough not having him around, but I wish him and his family all the best in his next chapter.”