KEY POINTS:
The formula is simple for Chiefs coach Ian Foster.
Instead of a calculator, he will arm his Chiefs with a battering ram as they attempt to smash down the doors of the fortress otherwise known as Jade Stadium.
Friday night's white-knuckle victory over the hapless Waratahs has kept
the dream alive.
Now all they have to do is beat the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday and more than likely they're in. Simple, eh? Not really.
"They've [the Crusaders] got a fantastic home record," Foster said, perhaps understating things slightly.
The Southerners boast the best home record of any team in the competition, winning 85 per cent of all games at Jade Stadium. The last time the Crusaders were beaten at home was 26 matches ago, on February 27, 2004, when a Blues side inspired by Rupeni Caucaunibuca and Carlos Spencer won 38-29.
"It's a huge challenge and one you've got to be excited by," continued Foster.
He's got every right to be excited, too. It took his side six matches before they registered their first win in 2007. They won two on the trot before lineout wobbles cost them a potentially season-shattering victory against the Blues in week nine.
Since then, they've pipped the Highlanders away, destroyed the Force at home, netted the Sharks and, now, held their nerve against an improving 'Tahs. In other words, the semifinals started very early for the Chiefs.
"It's been like that for the past five weeks," Foster said, "and it's no different this week. We've got to beat the Crusaders to have a chance. After that, it's out of our hands."
If there's one pair of hands Foster and assistant coach Warren Gatland will want on the ball on Friday, it is Liam Messam's. The livewire flanker was the game's outstanding contributor against the Waratahs, scoring a try that would have graced the highlights reel of a centre and setting up the crucial last try to Tane Tu'ipulotu.
Foster acknowledged that Messam's continued good form was an indication he was close to forging that perfect balance between the physical requirements of loose forward play and the type of rare and silky skills the Rotorua native has always possessed.
Messam might currently wear No 6 on his back but is playing the sort of rugby that would just as easily grace Nos 7 and 8.
Mils Muliaina could find himself switching between numbers at a certain tournament starting in September. He made his long-awaited comeback on Friday and impressed.
As to the question of Muliaina's position, Foster labelled him the world's best fullback and "probably the best centre in New Zealand".
"He's a quality individual. He's a leader and when the going got tough in that last 30, he got into positions to get his hands on the ball and share the load," he told reporters.
Another making his mark at the right time of year is first-five Stephen Donald. Without the safety blanket of David Hill next to him, Donald struggled early in the season. But against the 'Tahs, he took ownership of a backline that has at times struggled for direction.
"It's taken time," Foster said. "At the end of last year and this year, there were a few ups and downs but he's an outstanding individual who works very hard on his game. He's coming on well now and he still has some room to grow."
Next week Donald will look across the line and see Daniel Carter, arguably the greatest first-five in All Black history. His team-mates will see a team that has been as close to lights out at home as any team in rugby history. If they can't get excited by the prospect of tipping the odds and forcing their way into the semifinals, they never will.
