Rennie: They owned us
Chiefs coach Dave Rennie admitted that the Highlanders had a clear edge over them in Super Rugby this year.
The Highlanders advanced to the semifinals for the first time in 13 years, after they knocked out the two-time champion Chiefs with a bruising 24-14 victory in the opening play-off match in Dunedin on Saturday.
Rennie, in his post-match reaction, said the Highlanders had been too good for the Chiefs in the end and had been far more clinical.
"They owned us this year, winning 3-0," he said in reference to the play-off loss and the two league defeats – 9-36 in Dunedin and 17-20 in Hamilton.
"But we had battled a little bit over the last five or six weeks and you need to be in more clinical form at the business end of the season," he added.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph was delighted with the way his side refused to be compromised by the physical approach of the Chiefs.
Joseph said it was important that his side did not go into their shells when things were not going their way.
But inspired by an outstanding display from scrumhalf Aaron Smith the Highlanders had stood to their ground.
"The game lived up to what we thought it would be," Joseph said.
"The Chiefs were really good at the breakdown and physical.
"We have some really good leaders [in the side] and they stood up against the Chiefs' scrum," he added.
There was some concern after the game that flank Dan Pryor, who had a fine tussle in the loose with All Black Sam Cane, had suffered what appeared to be a dislocated elbow and may not be available for the semifinal next weekend.
However, captain Ben Smith said they will "savour this moment" and be up for "another big job" next week.
"It's a massive buzz playing in front of this [crowd]. The boys really appreciate the support.
"We managed to play in the right areas of the field and we used the ball quite well.
"It's a good Chiefs team. They really put us under pressure for the whole 80 minutes and I'm glad we managed to scrape through.
"There's a few points in that crowd.
"There were times when we were hurting a wee bit and they keep giving you the energy to keep getting at it."
Man of the match Aaron Smith said it was 'a surreal feeling' to have advanced to the semifinals.
"This was a huge game for us, it feels like a final. But I am excited about what's to come," he said.
