The Chiefs hosted the Crusaders at FMG Stadium in the first Super Rugby Pacific semifinal, with Leroy Carter named on the bench after a hamstring injury and a place in the final on the line. Carter had been set to return last week against the Reds before he was scratched shortly after the teams were named, making his inclusion this time a timely lift for the home side.

The timing matters because this is not just another playoff night. The winner moves on to the Super Rugby Pacific final, and the Chiefs were trying to do it against a Crusaders side that has had their number. The visitors arrived having won their last three Super Rugby Pacific matches against the Chiefs, including two victories this season and last year’s final, a run that has made every recent meeting feel heavier than the last.

For the Chiefs, Carter’s return changed the look of the bench, but not enough to make their selection picture easy. Liam Coombes-Fabling stayed on the right flank, Lalakai Foketi started in the midfield and Simon Parker shifted to No 8 to cover for Wallace Sititi, who suffered a nasty head knock and still had no timeline for his return. Kyle Brown was also ruled out with concussion, leaving the Chiefs with both a boost and a gap in the same back-line and loose-forward mix.

The Crusaders made their own changes. Fletcher Newell returned at tighthead prop, while Braydon Ennor came in for Dallas McLeod in the midfield, giving them a 23-man squad built for the pressure of a knockout away from home. The Chiefs had named 15 starters and a 23-man squad of their own, and the margins were thin enough that one late injury or one sharp bench contribution could tilt the match.

That is what gives this semifinal its edge: the Chiefs were trying to end a losing streak against the side that has repeatedly stopped them, while also dealing with injuries that cut into their balance. Super Rugby Aupiki was set to begin the same weekend in Auckland and Christchurch, but the focus in Hamilton was fixed on one outcome only. The winner would keep the season alive and the loser would be left looking at another Crusaders result that got there first.