| Home team | Chiefs |
| Away team | Reds |
| Venue | FMG Stadium Waikato |
| Competition | Super Rugby Pacific |
| Kick off time | 8:05 am (UK) |
| Watch Live in the UK | Sky Sports+ |
Chiefs vs Reds Super Rugby Pacific qualifying finals preview as the sides meet at FMG Stadium Waikato.
The Chiefs finished second in the table with 51 points from 11 wins and three defeats during the year. This was the joint-best record in the league with the Hurricanes, but finished four points behind the league leaders.
The Reds finished fifth with eight wins and six defeats from 14 games. They finished just one point behind the Blues, who finished in fourth.
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Chiefs vs Reds confirmed lineups
| Chiefs | Reds | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| Norris | 1 | Ross | |||
| Taukei’aho | 2 | Nasser | |||
| Ahio | 3 | Nonggorr | |||
| Lord | 4 | Canham | |||
| Vaa’i | 5 | Salakaia-Loto | |||
| Parker | 6 | Brial | |||
| Jacobson | 7 | McReight | |||
| Sititi | 8 | Wilson | |||
| Backs | |||||
| Ratima | 9 | McDermott | |||
| McKenzie | 10 | Gordon | |||
| Taumoefolau | 11 | Ryan | |||
| Tupaea | 12 | Daugunu | |||
| Brown | 13 | Flook | |||
| Coombes-Fabling | 14 | Anderson | |||
| Hutchinson | 15 | Campbell | |||
| Replacements | |||||
| McAlister | 16 | Faessler | |||
| Proffit | 17 | Blake | |||
| Dyer | 18 | De Lutiis | |||
| Naitoa Ah Kuoi | 19 | Muller | |||
| Finau | 20 | Latu | |||
| Tahuriorangi | 21 | Thomas | |||
| Jacomb | 22 | Volavola | |||
| Carter | 23 | Pritchard | |||
Recent Form:
Chiefs (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 30th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Blues | 59-34 |
| Loss | 22nd May 2026 | Super Rugby | Crusaders | 36-32 |
| Won | 15th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Highlanders | 42-12 |
| Won | 8th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Reds | 21-31 |
| Won | 26th April 2026 | Super Rugby | Fijian Drua | 42-22 |
The Chiefs won eight of their final nine games of the season, with their only loss in this run coming away to the Crusaders. In the final round of the season, they produced a 25-point win over the Blues. The match was close at half-time with the scores sitting at 19-15. In the second-half, six Chiefs tries set them up for a 59-34 win.
Reds (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 29th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Fijian Drua | 45-24 |
| Won | 23rd May 2026 | Super Rugby | Moana Pasifika | 31-33 |
| Loss | 16th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Western Force | 19-14 |
| Loss | 8th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Chiefs | 21-31 |
| Won | 2nd May 2026 | Super Rugby | Brumbies | 30-21 |
The Reds won their final two games of the season to seal their position in the top six. The final game saw them win by 21 against the Fijian Drua. They flew out to an early lead and were 21-5 in front after 35 minutes. The Drua scored three tries either side of halftime to find themselves 24-21 behind. The Reds went on to score four tries in the final 25 minutes to seal the game.
Chiefs vs Reds head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 8th May 2026 | Super Rugby | Chiefs | 21-31 |
| 4th April 2025 | Super Rugby | Chiefs | 27-15 |
| 7th June 2024 | Super Rugby Playoffs | Chiefs | 43-21 |
| 9th March 2024 | Super Rugby | Reds | 25-19 |
| 10th June 2023 | Super Rugby Playoffs | Chiefs | 29-20 |
The Chiefs have won four of the last five meetings between the teams and five of the last six in Hamilton, with the only defeat coming by three points.
