The Chiefs play their home games in predominantly black shirts with red around the collar and down the sides, white sleeves with yellow flashes. The team emblem is a warrior looking to the sky holding a Maori club. The supporters are well known for brandishing inflated versions of the club and also ringing cow bells to drive their team to greater exertions.
2016/17 Home Super Shirt £60.00 from Lovell Rugby |
2016/17 Alternate Super Shirt £60.00 from Lovell Rugby |
2016/17 Home Kids Super Shirt £40.00 from Lovell Rugby |
The Waikato Chiefs, or the Chiefs as they are officially called, are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand, and representing the Counties Manukau, Waikato, Thames Valley, King Country and Bay of Plenty unions. They are one of the five New Zealand franchises in the Super 15 competition and to date their best performance was to reach the semi-finals in 2004.
2012On the back of several encouraging seasons the Chiefs finally claimed their first ever Super rugby title, avenging their 2009 loss to the Bulls by beating them in the final in front of a passionate home crowd in Hamilton. With an electric backline guided by All Black Aaron Cruden and starring sensational midfielder Sonny Bill Williams, the Chiefs knocked out the Crusaders in a tightly contested Semi before blowing the Bulls away the following week. | 2009100-game All Black Mils Muliaina assumed the captaincy following the departure of Jono Gibbes, and immediately inspired the side to their first ever final. Having to travel to South Africa, the Hamilton-based franchise were out-gunned in the big match, being blown away by the Bulls in a helter-skelter first half. | ||
2007The Chiefs continued to over-promise and undeliver, as the 2007 side finished in 6th spot, winning 7 of their games but losing 5, with one draw. It was a challenging season for all Kiwi sides though, with the All Blacks coaches famously 'resting' their top line players ahead of the World Cup later in the year. | 2005Winning five, losing five and drawing once, the 2005 Chiefs were unable to improve on their best-ever finish in 2004, failing to make the playoffs after finishing the normal season in 6th spot on the table. | ||
2002Coached by Kevin Greene, the 2002 side was unable to buck a trend of underachievement, winning just four of their games and losing seven as they struggled to an 8th place finish. This was to be Dion Muir's last season as captain of the Chiefs, as barn-storming loose-forward Jono Gibbes moved into the leadership role ahead of the 2003 campaign. | 1997-98The Chiefs, in their original form, which featured North Harbour and Northland, but not Counties-Manukau and Thames Valley (the Chiefs swapped these two franchises with the Blues in '99). struggled to bring together a cohesive team from such a wide catchment area, finishing 11th in 1997, and 7th in '98. |
The Chiefs play their home games in the 26,000 seater and 30,000 capacity Waikato Stadium Seddon Road, Hamilton. The stadium has also hosted All Blacks games and is home to the Waikato side who play in the National Provincial Competition.
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