'Better spot than last year' - Jacobson bullish about Chiefs' chances

Chiefs skipper Luke Jacobson believes his side are better than they were last year when they lost the Super Rugby grand final to the Blues.

That crushing defeat at Eden Park came on top of their final loss to the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium the year before, the Chiefs having salt rubbed into the wounds when being forced to watch Scott Robertson’s breakdancing in what was his last match as Crusaders head coach.

All of which means the top-seeded Chiefs are eager to begin their playoff campaign against a Blues side who only confirmed their place in the finals with a victory over the Waratahs last weekend.

After confirming his re-commitment to the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby for another two years, Jacobson was asked whether he felt it was the “Chiefs’ time” this season.

“It’s only our time if we make it our time,” he told 1News. “We have to earn everything. We’ve learned a bit over the last few years in coming close.

“I’d like to think we’re in a better spot than we were last year.”

Recent victories over Moana Pasifika and the Highlanders point to the Chiefs' form and momentum, along with their depth.

And knocking the defending champions out of the competition on Saturday would likely give the Chiefs a special satisfaction after last year’s disappointment.

“There’s a long history between the Chiefs and the Blues,” he said. “We don’t really like each other. The battle of the Bombays. It’s always a good match up. It gets a good crowd along. It’s top-level footy and a game we look forward to.

“They’ll be thinking the same. They’ll be hungry after slipping into the sixth spot there.”

There is also the not insignificant extra motivation of sending head coach Clayton McMillan off with a championship. McMillan has signed with Irish club Munster and will leave at the end of the season.

Chiefs flanker Samipeni Finau confirmed an appropriate send-off was a priority, adding of the last two grand final disappointments: “It’s more of a motivation. Most of us are still here from the last two years. It still hurts.”

For Jacobson, 28, staying for another two years was not a hard decision to make.

“We’ve got really good continuity with the coaches and management and players," he said. "I come into work every day and enjoy it. That makes it a pretty tough place to leave. Also, I’m excited about where this team has got to and I’m hungry to turn that into championship success.

“I’d love to play 100 games for this franchise. I’m sitting on the early 90s. I’d be really proud to achieve that. There are a few greats who have achieved that milestone and I’d like to be up there with them.”

The versatile loose forward, who has played 23 Tests, will be pushing hard for a place in the All Blacks squad for the next month’s Tests against France. Robertson will announce his first squad of the year on June 23.

For Liam Messam, a former Chiefs and All Blacks loose forward – and now Chiefs assistant coach – the rivalry against the Blues is “about as big as it gets".

“Obviously, the Crusaders are up there too but as a former Chiefs player it’s one game you always wanted to play in," he said. "It’s a quarter-final against the defending champions - it’s going to be a great spectacle for all our fans out there.”