   the chiefs (formerly known as the waikato chiefs) are a professional rugby union team based in hamilton, new zealand. their primary home ground is waikato stadium. the chiefs play in black, red and yellow coloured jerseys. the team competes in the super rugby competition known as the super 12 from 1996 to 2005, super 14 from 2006 to 2010 and super rugby from 2011 onwards. the chiefs are one of the competition's five new zealand sides. until 2004, the chiefs were the only new zealand side to never have qualified for the super 12 semi-finals. in that year the chiefs earned their first semi-final berth, and in the end achieved fourth place (defeated 37â20 in the semi-final by the act brumbies). they made the 2009 final but found themselves on the short end of a record 61â17 defeat by the bulls. the chiefs were rewarded with a home final after a strong 2012 season. their opponents, the sharks, went into the match as underdogs. the chiefs defeated the sharks 37â6 winning their first super rugby title. in 2013 the chiefs became the 4th super rugby franchise to record back to back title wins when they defeated the brumbies 27â22 in front of a full home crowd at waikato stadium. ==history== the chiefs were founded in 1995 as the waikato chiefs for the inaugural super 12 season in 1996. prior to the super 12, the super 10 competition had been in place, which npc teams took part in, including waikato. in
New_Zealand_rugby_union_teams Sport_in_Waikato Super_Rugby_teams