Chiefs are Super Rugby Champions!

It's official, the Chiefs are double Super Rugby champions, prevailing 27-22 over a valiant Brumbies side in Hamilton.

The Brumbies were the better side for three quarters of the game and showed none of the fatigue and lethargy that was expected after having had to travel from Australia to South Africa and then back to Australia and then New Zealand in the space of 2 weeks.

However, a failure to make the most of a relieving penalty in their own half while they were 22-12 up, by kicking possession straight back to the Chiefs, eventually resulted in a try to Liam Messam to make it 22-17 with the Chiefs finally turning up to their own homecoming party an hour late and finally applying serious pressure on the opposition try line.

With the momentum now firmly in their favour, Southland fullback Robbie Robinson spotted a gap and scored the most important try of his young career. Aaron Cruden's conversion gave the Chiefs a 24-22 lead and a further penalty by Cruden on one of the worst kicking nights of his career made it 27-22 to the Chiefs and forced the Brumbies to have to score a try just to take the Final to extra time for the first time in history.

It was a wily contest well adjudicated by South African referee, Craig Joubert. The Brumbies had prepared well for this game and particularly targeted the scrum and halfback, Tawera Kerr-Barlow at the rucks - Kerr-Barlow's style of getting his hands to the ball early meant he was often considered fair game by referee Craig Joubert and the Brumbies managed to snifle a critical supplier of the ball early on.

Indeed, it was a night that would raise concern for All Blacks coaches with the likes of Kerr-Barlow, Cruden, Retallick and Messam appearing to have stage fright earlier in the night. Cruden as mentioned earlier had one of his worst goal kicking performances of his career, while Retallick was messy at lineout time and Messam made some silly plays.

Thankfully, they did step up right at the end - just as well for the large expectant crowd and this will go down as one of the best Super Rugby finals ever.

Credit should go to Jake White and the Brumbies who would have been deserved winners of the title had they managed to hold on. Alas, they can hold their heads up high at a very successful season.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have emulated the Blues' back to back Super Rugby title wins - both of them had to beat the Sharks and Brumbies in successive finals to be crowned champion.

Which could be good news for Crusaders fans - the Crusaders ended the Blues' final streak in 1998, so going by that sequence, 2014 could see the Crusaders make the Final.

Watch this space.

In the meantime, enjoy the night, Chiefs players and fans!