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Chiefs 'refusing to die' says coach as side prepare for season-defining clash

June 10, 2019

Colin Cooper's side face the Rebels looking to make the playoffs this weekend.

Chiefs coach Colin Cooper is hailing his side's resolve ahead of their season-defining clash with the Rebels in Melbourne this weekend, starting at the possibility of the unlikeliest of runs to the Super Rugby playoffs.

Having languished towards the bottom of the Super Rugby standings for most of the current season, with injuries and poor form having taken their toll, a spectacular upturn in results sees the Chiefs with a simple equation to reach finals football for 2019.

Win and possibly make it through, while a win with a bonus point would all but guarantee a place in this year's finals, looking to leapfrog the Rebels into eighth place.

Speaking at his side's training in Hamilton today, coach Cooper spoke about the Chiefs' run towards a finals tilt.

"This team's been fighting and refusing to die for the last month," he began.

"We've had some good wins, and we've had some poor losses. Now it's about moving on from all that.

"You saw what we can do when we get it right - it's trying to bottle that and take that over to Melbourne and release it."

Cooper also said it's his job to keep his side's feet on the ground heading into the match, not getting carried away by any prospective finals opponent.

"The first thing is you've got to be in a position to win the game before you can get a bonus point.

"We've got captaincy with Sam [Cane] and Brodie [Retallick], Tyler Ardron, Angus [Ta'avao] - all those guys are big leaders in their own right. I've got the confidence that we'll make the right decisions in their own right."

The Chiefs travel to face the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night.

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