1997 Chiefs (rugby union) season
| 1997 season | |||
| Head coach | Brad Meurant | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Ian Jones | ||
| Stadium | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Owen Delany Park, Taupo North Harbour Stadium, Albany | ||
| Placing | 11th | ||
| Record | Won 4, Lost 7 | ||
| Top try scorer | All: Eric Rush (6) | ||
| Top points scorer | All: Matthew Cooper (106) | ||
| |||
1997 was a tough year for the Waikato Chiefs rugby team in the Super 12 Tournament. They won 4 of their 11 games and finished 10th overall on the table, this year the team was coached by Brad Meurant and captain by Ian Jones.
Standing[edit]
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Auckland Blues | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 435 | 283 | 152 | 8 | 50 |
| 2 |  ACT Brumbies | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 406 | 291 | 115 | 9 | 41 |
| 3 | Wellington Hurricanes | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 416 | 314 | 102 | 10 | 34 |
| 4 |  Sharks | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 321 | 350 | −29 | 6 | 30 |
| 5 | Gauteng Lions | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 302 | 346 | −44 | 6 | 28 |
| 6 | Canterbury Crusaders | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 272 | 235 | 37 | 4 | 26 |
| 7 | Free State | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 301 | 327 | −26 | 5 | 25 |
| 8 | Northern Transvaal | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 264 | 342 | −78 | 4 | 22 |
| 9 | NSW Waratahs | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 255 | 296 | −41 | 4 | 20 |
| 10 | Queensland Reds | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 263 | 318 | −55 | 4 | 20 |
| 11 | Waikato Chiefs | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 272 | 295 | −23 | 3 | 19 |
| 12 | Otago Highlanders | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 299 | 409 | −110 | 5 | 17 |
Coaching staff[edit]
| Job | Name |
|---|---|
| Coach | Brad Meurant |
| Assistant coach | John Boe |
| Manager | Steve Gilbert |
| Physio | Dennis Shepherd |
| Physio | Chris McCullough |
| Doctor | Chris Milne |
| Doctor | Steve Reid |
| Trainer | Peter White |
Results[edit]
| Round 1 | 28 February 1997 | Wellington Hurricanes | 18 – 23 | Waikato Chiefs | The Showgrounds, Palmerston North | |
| Try: Jarrod Cunningham, Tana Umaga Con: Jon Preston Pen: Jon Preston (2) | Scoreboard[1] | Try: Eric Rush, Glen Osborne, Walter Little Con: Matthew Cooper Pen: Matthew Cooper (2) | Referee: Colin Hawke |
| Round 2 | 8 March 1997 | NSW Waratahs | 26 – 33 | Waikato Chiefs | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | |
| Try: Matt Burke, Richard Harry Con: Matt Burke (2) Pen: Matt Burke (4) | Scoreboard[2] | Try: Eric Rush (2), Errol Brain | Referee: Andrew Cole |
| Round 3 | 15 March 1997 | Waikato Chiefs | 16 – 26 | Auckland Blues | North Harbour Stadium, Albany | |
| Try: Scott McLeod Con: Bruce Reihana Pen: Bruce Reihana (2), Matt Cooper | Try: Joeli Vidiri, Zinzan Brooke, penalty try Con: Carlos Spencer Pen: Carlos Spencer (2) Drop: Carlos Spencer | Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Paddy O'Brien |
| Round 4 | 22 March 1997 | Waikato Chiefs | 31 – 16 | Queensland Reds | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | |
| Try: Bruce Reihana, Dion Matthews, Matt Cooper Con: Matt Cooper (2) Pen: Matt Cooper (4) | Try: Ben Tune Con: John Eales Pen: John Eales (3) | Referee: Colin Hawke |
| Round 5 | 29 March 1997 | Canterbury Crusaders | 24 – 15 | Waikato Chiefs | Fraser Park, Timaru | |
| Try: Daryl Gibson, Kevin Nepia Con: Andrew Mehrtens Pen: Andrew Mehrtens (3) Drop: Andrew Mehrtens | Try: Paul Mitchell, Rhys Duggan Con: Matt Cooper Pen: Matt Cooper | Attendance: 8,500 Referee: Glen Wahlstrom |
| Round 7 | 11 April 1997 | Waikato Chiefs | 15 – 33 | Sharks | North Harbour Stadium, Albany | |
| Try: Glen Osborne, Glenn Taylor Con: Blair Feeney Pen: Blair Feeney | Try: Adrian Garvey (2), Cabous van der Westhuisen Con: Gavin Lawless (3) Pen: Gavin Lawless (4) | Referee: Paddy O'Brien |
| Round 8 | 19 April 1997 | Northern Transvaal | 34 – 27 | Waikato Chiefs | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| Try: Graeme Bouwer, Jacques Olivier (2), Nicky van der Walt Con: Casper Steyn (4) Pen: Casper Steyn (2) | Try: Dean Anglesey, Glen Osborne Con: Matt Cooper Pen: Matt Cooper (5) | Referee: Ian Rogers |
| Round 9 | 26 April 1997 | Free State | 27 – 13 | Waikato Chiefs | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | |
| Try: Hendrik Jordaan Kruger, Jan-Harm van Wyk, Rassie Erasmus, Wybrand Els Con: MJ Smith (2) Pen: MJ Smith | Try: Michael Collins Con: Matt Cooper Pen: Matt Cooper (2) | Referee: Tappe Henning |
| Round 10 | 3 May 1997 | Waikato Chiefs | 47 – 9 | Gauteng Lions | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | |
| Try: Caleb Ralph (2), Deon Muir, Scott McLeod Con: Matt Cooper (5) Pen: Matt Cooper (4) | Pen: Gavin Johnson (3) | Referee: Paul Honiss |
| Round 11 | 9 May 1997 | ACT Brumbies | 48 – 34 | Waikato Chiefs | Canberra Stadium, Canberra | |
| Try: George Gregan, Joe Roff (2), Mitch Hardy, Owen Finegan, Stephen Larkham, Troy Coker Con: David Knox (5) Pen: David Knox | Try: Aaron Hopa, Eric Rush (3) Con: Ian Foster (4) Pen: Matt Cooper (2) | Attendance: 13,742 Referee: Stuart Dickinson |
| Round 12 | 16 May 1997 | Waikato Chiefs | 18 – 34 | Otago Highlanders | Owen Delany Park, Taupō | |
| Try: Caleb Ralph, Glenn Taylor Con: Blair Feeney Pen: Ian Foster (2) | Try: Doug Howlett (3) Con: Simon Culhane (2) Pen: Simon Culhane (4), Tony Brown | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Paul Honiss |
Squad[edit]
The Chiefs Squad for the 1997 Super 12 Season were:
| 1997 Chiefs Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Props Hookers Locks | Loose forwards Scrum-Halves Fly-halves | Midfield Wingers Fullbacks |
| (c) denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped. |
References[edit]
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Wellington Hurricanes 18–23 The Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 28 February 1997. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – New South Wales Waratahs 26–33 The Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 8 March 1997. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
External links[edit]
- Official Chiefs website
- Official Super Rugby website Archived 9 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Official Facebook page