Super 14 rugby final match preview

Preview of this weekend’s Super 14 final (kick-off AEST).

SUNDAY, May 31
BULLS (1st, 46pts) v CHIEFS (2nd, 45pts) at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, at 1.30am
Head to head: Played 14, Bulls 5, Chiefs 8, drawn 1
In Pretoria: Played 7, Bulls 5, Chiefs 2
Last meeting: Bulls 33-27 in Pretoria, rd 11, 2009

Fittingly, the top two performers of the season vie for the trophy but the travel-weary Chiefs face a mammoth task trying to become only the fifth side to win a Super rugby title. In an exhausting journey, the first-time finalists required a 3.30am bus ride Monday from Hamilton to Auckland, then flights from Auckland to Sydney to Johannesburg and finally another coach trip to Pretoria – only to discover the Springboks, who are hosting the British Lions, had taken over their team hotel. The Chiefs eventually bunkered down at different digs up the road, but it’s unlikely they have recovered sufficiently from the inevitable jetlag to be ready to go the distance with the formidable Bulls at altitude. With Morne Steyn knocking over penalties and drop goals like there’s no tomorrow, the Bulls slowly drained the life out of the Crusaders in their 36-23 semi-final win last weekend.

The Chiefs had to fight tooth and nail to get past the Hurricanes 14-10 at home in their semi-final and have since lost their attacking trump Sitiveni Sivivatu – who set up the match-winning try – to a shoulder dislocation. Thankfully, All Blacks centre Richard Kahui returns from a calf injury, enabling Dwayne Sweeney to shift to Sivivatu’s left wing position.

The Bulls and Chiefs enjoy one of the closest individual rivalries in Super rugby history and the past six tournament finals have been decided by margins of 12 points or less. Alas, the Chiefs have a habit of losing close matches in the Republic and have won just four of their last 16 games on South African soil. Expect the trend to continue.

SportsAlive: Bulls $1.37, Chiefs $3.20

Tip: Bulls by 11