Chiefs vs Crusaders: The history of a Super Rugby rivalry

Sam Ackerman • June 12th, 2026 11:13 am

Israel Dagg | Photo: Photosport

What better way to prime yourself for Friday night's semi-final blockbuster between the Chiefs and the Crusaders than a refresher course on some of the most memorable clashes between these two NZ heavyweights.

Twenty-three of the 52 matches they’ve played have been decided by a converted try or less - four of them by a single point.

And that started right out the gate, with these two sides meeting in the first round of Super Rugby 30 years ago.

Ian Foster didn't have the best day with the boot, but landed the kick when it mattered to secure a 27-26 at Rugby Park for the Waikato Chiefs.

The Crusaders wouldn’t take long to get on the board themselves in this head to head contest – with some of the franchise’s greatest ever names getting them home in 1997 at Timaru’s Alpine Energy Stadium.

The Crusaders then proceeded to go on an eight-year winning streak against their northern adversaries, until the Chiefs finally found their winning ways in this rivalry in 2007.

But the match that really started the hate – the Chiefs' first (and to this day, only) spell as the undeniable force in Super Rugby.

In 2012, they met the stacked Crusaders in the semis, with the Mooloo men winning a tense 20-17 affair.

They’d go on to win their first ever title – and fast forward a year – same stage, same opponents.

The Chiefs were dominating, up 20-9 and seemingly in cruise control – until Sport Nation's own Izzy Dagg lit it up – and stood up his old mate Hika Elliott in a spectacular solo try.

Dan Carter slotted the sideline conversion and added a penalty to make it a one-point game. They looked to come up with the winning play in the dying stages - 12-plus phases, time up on the clock - but that was as close as they got, the Chiefs holding on for another famous win, 20-19.

Our guy Izzy was at it again in their 2017 semi-final match up, scoring a try on the wing as the Crusaders got one back in the big game stakes.

Dagger not just scoring but pointing and running his waha to rub salt into the wound.

In 2023, so desperate were the Crusaders that they had to play a flanker out of position, with renowned forward Leicester Fainga'anuku on the wing if you could believe it (tongue firmly in cheek here!).

The Chiefs looked like they were going to slay the Dragon – up 20-15 with nine minutes to go - until this moment changed the course of the match, Sam Cane yellow carded for cynical play with nine minutes left on the clock.

With the Chiefs down to 14, the Crusaders did what they do best, burrowing over and the departing Richie Mo'unga icing the game 25-20 that saw the Scott Robertson/Razor Ray era finish as it started, in triumph.

That meant the Chiefs were the last team to ever have to suffer through Razor's trademark celebration.

They met again in the 2025 decider, which started with David Havili going to the bin after a head clash and only got more old school after that – tries hard to come by and a scrum penalty proving the difference as the Red and Blacks prevailed 16-12.