The Chiefs re-established their title credentials with a 37-17 win over the ACT Brumbies in Hamilton.
The Brumbies were great in patches but the class of the hosts was too much to overcome as they return to the Final.
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So what did we learn?
The Brumbies will feel gutted by this defeat, but the Chiefs and Crusaders deserve to be in the Final.
The Chiefs won the big moments and kept the pressure on for the entire 80 minutes, penalising any small error from the Brumbies with points.
Their pressure was unrelenting and ultimately left the visitors struggling to repel the Chiefs’ lead.
It feels right that the two top sides at the end of the regular season will contest the title, with the Chiefs’ loss to the Blues backing up the new finals format by the fact that they must travel to Christchurch, instead of hosting.
Damian McKenzie only added to his case as one of the best players in the world with a world-class display.
He punished the Brumbies with his boot, slotting six penalties, but two moments in as many minutes in the second half separated him from the rest.
McKenzie produced a lovely set play to put Josh Jacomb over for the game-sealing try.
But the best was yet to come, producing an unreal try-saving tackle to stop Tom Wright, one of the most explosive finishers in the world, from scoring and sparking a comeback.
He may have missed out on Super Rugby Player of the Year, but McKenzie has been quick to remind everyone of his talent.
Corey Toole did his Wallabies hopes little harm with an excellent attacking display.
His finishing for his first try was solid, however, the strength shown for his second caught many by surprise as he bumped off McKenzie for the try.
The winger’s attacking prowess has never been questioned, but there are still questions around his defence.
He entered the game with 41 missed tackles in 2025 with 84 makes. For context, a player like Sevu Reece has made 82 tackles but also had 15 misses in the same period.
As mentioned last week, when you’re trying to end a finals drought, you need luck, but the Brumbies fell victim to the same fortunes as the Reds after Noah Lolesio’s early departure.
Lolesio copped a heavy shot from Samisoni Taukei’aho and failed the HIA, leaving Jack Debreczeni to fill in for the best part of 70 minutes.
The difference for the Brumbies was having Jack Debreczeni on the bench, whereas a HIA to Harry McLaughlin-Phillips a week earlier had denied the Reds the same luxury of a replacement flyhalf.
The experience of Debreczeni was vital in the visitors’ hunt for an upset win early, setting up Corey Toole’s first try with a lovely touch finder, backed up by the cross-field kick to the unmarked winger.
But they would've loved to have Lolesio for longer, as they failed to reel in the Chiefs during the second half.
The fact that Emoni Narawa has just two international caps solidifies how blessed the All Blacks are when it comes to back-three options.
Narawa is one of the best in the comp in creating chances out of nothing, and his dart from close to the ruck to catch the Brumbies napping was a further example of this.
Again, he found himself in the perfect position to score his second after Leroy Carter broke the line.
The winger has lifted for the back end of the season, scoring five tries in the past seven games.
But even his spot in Scott Robertson’s best 23 for July is far from certain, especially after how Will Jordan and Mark Tele’a played last night. Add Sevu Reece and Caleb Clarke to the mix, and it’s a hotly contested battle for three spots for the France series.
