Chiefs 2020
Results
| Year | Date | Versus | Venue | Result | F | A | |
| Super 15 | |||||||
| 2020 | 31 Jan | Blues | Auckland | W | 37 | 29 | |
| 2020 | 8 Feb | Crusaders | Hamilton | W | 25 | 15 | |
| 2020 | 15 Feb | Sunwolves | Tokyo | W | 43 | 17 | |
| 2020 | 22 Feb | Brumbies | Hamilton | L | 14 | 26 | |
| 2020 | 6 Mar | Waratahs | Wollongong | W | 51 | 14 | |
| 2020 | 13 Mar | Hurricanes | Hamilton | L | 24 | 27 | |
| Super Rugby Aotearoa | |||||||
| 2020 | 13 Jun | Highlanders | Dunedin | L | 27 | 28 | |
| 2020 | 20 Jun | Blues | Hamilton | L | 12 | 24 | |
| 2020 | 28 Jun | Crusaders | Christchurch | L | 13 | 18 | |
| 2020 | 5 Jul | Hurricanes | Hamilton | L | 18 | 25 | |
| 2020 | 19 Jul | Highlanders | Hamilton | L | 31 | 33 | |
| 2020 | 26 Jul | Blues | Auckland | L | 17 | 21 | |
| 2020 | 1 Aug | Crusaders | Hamilton | L | 19 | 32 | |
| 2020 | 8 Aug | Hurricanes | Wellington | L | 18 | 31 |
Overall results
Played 14, won 4, lost 10
Points for 349, against 340
Chiefs were 5th out of 15 teams when the original programme was called off due to Covid-19, and 5th of five in the later Super Rugby Aotearoa
The competition was supposed to be the same as last year, with three groups of five teams making 15 in all. Each team played the four others in its own group twice, and four from each of the other sections. However all that went out the window due to the global Covid-19 pandemic with the competition being called off on 15 March, which allowed the Highlanders to get home from Buenos Aires before the borders closed. After the nationwide lockdown a domestic Super Rugby Aotearoa programme of home and away fixtures was played in June to August.
The Chiefs were travelling nicely in the original competition and stood fifth when it was abandoned. Despite a series of narrow margins, the team lost all eight games in its domestic replacement later in the year.
The 14-match fixture list was the Chiefs’ shortest since 2010.
Match scorers
| Versus | Tries | Con | PG | DG |
| Super 15 | ||||
| Blues | Taukei'aho (2), Ross, Alaimalo, Sowakula | Cruden (3) | Cruden | Cruden |
| Crusaders | Tahuriorangi, Alaimalo, Wainui | Cruden (2) | Cruden (2) | |
| Sunwolves | Boshier, Weber, Trask, Alaimalo, Tupaea, Stevenson, McKenzie | McKenzie (3), Trask | ||
| Brumbies | Cruden, Lienert-Brown | McKenzie (2) | ||
| Waratahs | Weber (2), Boshier, Wainui, Lienert-Brown, Stevenson, Alaimalo | Cruden (3), Trask (2) | Cruden (2) | |
| Hurricanes | Boshier, Manu, Stevenson | McKenzie (3) | McKenzie | |
| Super Rugby Aotearoa | ||||
| Highlanders | Wainui, Lienert-Brown | McKenzie | McKenzie (4) | McKenzie |
| Blues | McKenzie (4) | |||
| Crusaders | Wainui | McKenzie | McKenzie (2) | |
| Hurricanes | Boshier, penalty try | McKenzie (2) | ||
| Highlanders | Slater (2), Boshier, Lienert-Brown | McKenzie (4) | McKenzie | |
| Blues | Boshier, Alaimalo | McKenzie (2) | McKenzie | |
| Crusaders | Boshier | McKenzie | McKenzie (4) | |
| Hurricanes | Wainui, Karpik | McKenzie | McKenzie (2) |
Aaron Cruden’s dropped goal against the Blues in Super 15 was the first kicked for the Chiefs since 3 May 2008, when Callum Bruce kicked one against the Force. In between the two events the Chiefs had completed 187 matches dropped goal-free.
After not playing much in 2019, Damian McKenzie posted his fourth century in five seasons.
Season scoring
| Player | T | C | P | D | Pts |
| McKenzie, Damian | 1 | 18 | 21 | 1 | 107 |
| Cruden, Aaron | 1 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 39 |
| Boshier, Lachlan | 7 | 35 | |||
| Alaimalo, Solomon | 5 | 25 | |||
| Wainui, Sean | 5 | 25 | |||
| Lienert-Brown, Anton | 4 | 20 | |||
| Stevenson, Shaun | 3 | 15 | |||
| Weber, Brad | 3 | 15 | |||
| Trask, Kaleb | 1 | 3 | 11 | ||
| Slater, Bradley | 2 | 10 | |||
| Taukei'aho, Samisoni | 2 | 10 | |||
| penalty try | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Karpik, Mitchell | 1 | 5 | |||
| Manu, Tumua | 1 | 5 | |||
| Ross, Aidan | 1 | 5 | |||
| Sowakula, Pita-Gus | 1 | 5 | |||
| Tahuriorangi, Te Toiroa | 1 | 5 | |||
| Tupaea, Quinn | 1 | 5 | |||
| TOTALS | 40 | 29 | 26 | 2 | 342 |
With two dropped goals being kicked in 2020 the Chiefs matched their season record, which had been set in 1996. In between there had been six seasons where one dropped goal had been kicked, and 17 where none were recorded.
Appearances
| Player | Blu | Cru | Sun | Bru | War | Hur | Hig | Blu | Cru | Hur | Hig | Blu | Cru | Hur | Ttl | Repl |
| Ah Kuoi, Naitoa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | ||
| Alaimalo, Solomon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | |||||
| Allardice, Michael | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Ardron, Tyler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Boshier, Lachlan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Brown, Mitchell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Cane, Sam | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||||
| Cobb, Rob | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Coxon, Ryan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Cruden, Aaron | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | |||
| Falcon, Tiaan | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Geldenhuys, Ross | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | |||
| Jacobson, Luke | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Karpik, Mitchell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | |||||
| Laulala, Nepo | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||||||
| Leger, Orbyn | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Lienert-Brown, Anton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Maka, Donald | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Manu, Tumua | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||||||||||
| McKenzie, Damian | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||
| McNicol, Sam | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Milo-Harris, Lisati | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
| Moli, Atu | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||
| Naholo, Kini | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Nanai-Seturo, Etene | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Nankivell, Alex | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | ||||
| Nel, Dylan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Player | Blu | Cru | Sun | Bru | War | Hur | Hig | Blu | Cru | Hur | Hig | Blu | Cru | Hur | Ttl | Repl |
| Norris, Ollie | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||
| O'Neill, Reuben | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | ||||
| Parker, Simon | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Ross, Aidan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||||
| Slater, Bradley | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 6 | |
| Sowakula, Pita-Gus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 2 | |
| Stevenson, Shaun | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||
| Ta'avao, Angus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
| Tahuriorangi, Te Toiroa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||
| Taukei'aho, Samisoni | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 7 |
| Thomson, Adam | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||
| Trask, Kaleb | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | |||||
| Tupaea, Quinn | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | ||
| Vaa'I, Tupou | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | |||||||
| Wainui, Sean | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Weber, Brad | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 2 |
The Chiefs used a record number of 43 players in 2020, which was due in considerable part to the split seasons that were forced on all teams.
Five players did not play in the first half of the season (the original Super 15) and seven did not appear in the second half.
In addition to those who played, Nathan Harris, Laghlan McWhannell and Bailyn Sullivan were members of the squads.
Aaron Cruden became the seventh Chiefs centurion when he started against the Crusaders in round 7 of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
At the end of the season the following were Chiefs records:
Highest score: 72 v Lions at Johannesburg 2010
Biggest winning margin: 51 points (61-10) v Sunwolves at Tokyo 2018
51 points (59-8) v Rebels at Melbourne 2019
Most tries in a match: 4 by Sitiveni Sivivatu v Blues at Hamilton 2009
4 by Asaeli Tikoirotuma v Blues at Albany 2012
4 by Charlie Ngatai v Force 2016
Most conversions in a match: 9 by Stephen Donald v Lions at Johannesburg 2010
Most penalty goals in a match: 6 by Glen Jackson v Reds at Rotorua 2001
6 by Stephen Donald v Crusaders at Christchurch 2007
Most points in a match: 32 by Stephen Donald v Lions at Johannesburg 2010
Most appearances: 179 by Liam Messam 2006-18
