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Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final between the Chiefs and Hurricanes at Wellington's Sky Stadium.
The Blues have already booked their spot in the Super Rugby Pacific final, with a dominant 34-20 victory over the Brumbies. Both the Hurricanes and Chiefs hope to join them, when they play what is expected to be a tightly contested semi-final at Wellington.
The Hurricanes have already beaten the Chiefs twice in 2024, including a 36-23 victory at Wellington in round eight, but with a finals spot on the line, the Chiefs shouldn’t be underestimated, especially after their terrific 43-21 win against Queensland Reds in their quarter final.
This game is also a rematch of the 2016 Super Rugby semi-final, the last time the Hurricanes hosted a home semi. The result of that match - a 25-9 victory for the hosts, who went on to win their first and only championship.
Let's see if history will repeat itself tonight.
Join us at 7pm for kickoff.
TAB Odds: Hurricanes $1.60, Chiefs $2.25
Hurricanes brace for Chiefs payback in Super Rugby Pacific semi-final
The Hurricanes are poised to attract a record crowd for their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final with the Chiefs, as they look to repeat history.
They're out to replicate their feats of eight years ago, when they beat the Chiefs to book a spot in the final, en route to their maiden title in 2016.
"It's going to be awesome in front of a busy crowd," said midfielder Billy Proctor.
While there hasn't been too much reflection on that semi-final encounter, plenty of lessons were learned from their most recent clash, when the 'Canes earned a hardfought 20-17 win last month.
"Last time we had an awesome first half against them and we were really on top, and then they came our firing in the second half," recalled Proctor. "It was a battle until right until the end."
The defeat was the second of the year for the Chiefs against the men from the capital, who also beat them handily 36-23 in April.
"Sometimes, good teams that have been the best team all year don't necessarily get the job done," warned Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan.
