1997 Chiefs season

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.

Chiefs
1997 season
Head coachBrad Meurant
CaptainIan Jones
StadiumWaikato Stadium, Hamilton
Owen Delany Park, Taupo
North Harbour Stadium, Albany
Placing11th
RecordWon 4, Lost 7
Top try scorerAll: Eric Rush (6)
Top points scorerAll: Matthew Cooper (106)

Standing

Pos. Team Pld W D L PF PA PD BP Pts
1 Auckland Blues 111010435283152850
2 ACT Brumbies 11803406291115941
3 Wellington Hurricanes 116054163141021034
4 Sharks 1152432135029630
5 Gauteng Lions 1151530234644628
6 Canterbury Crusaders 1151527223537426
7 Free State 1150630132726525
8 Northern Transvaal 1133526434278422
9 NSW Waratahs 1140725529641420
10 Queensland Reds 1140726331855420
11 Waikato Chiefs 1140727229523319
12 Otago Highlanders 11308299409110517

Coaching staff

JobName
CoachBrad Meurant
Assistant CoachJohn Boe
ManagerSteve Gilbert
PhysioDennis Shepherd
PhysioChris McCullough
DoctorChris Milne
DoctorSteve Reid
TrainerPeter White

Results

Round 1 28 February 1997 Wellington Hurricanes 18 23 Waikato Chiefs The Showgrounds, Palmerston North  
Try: Jarrod Cunnigham,
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
Con: Matthew Cooper (3)
Pen: Matthew Cooper (4)

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, Taupo  
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

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

  1. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Wellington Hurricanes 18-23 The Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 28 February 1997. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. "SA Rugby Match Centre – New South Wales Waratahs 26-33 The Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 8 March 1997. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
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