(Reuters) -Departing Waikato Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said the team could claim a future Super Rugby Pacific title despite losing in the final for the third season in a row with Saturday's 16-12 defeat by the Canterbury Crusaders.
McMillan, who has been in charge for all three final losses, is leaving to take over as head coach of Irish side Munster but retains confidence in the players to one day deliver success.
"The consistency of our performances have been something to really relish," McMillan said. "I love these men and I know how hard they work and I'm confident that in the near future, they'll get across the line.
"The wheels are going to keep ticking over and we've got bloody good people in the organisation and, who knows, maybe a change of head coach might be what's needed to get the job done."
The loss in the final in Christchurch was the second in three seasons to the Crusaders for McMillan and his team, who were defeated in the 2024 edition by the Auckland Blues.
Saturday's defeat was by the narrowest margin of the three, with only four points separating the teams at the end of a tense encounter, in which Rivez Reihana kicked 11 points for the Crusaders.
"Everyone knows we have been to the final dance a number of times and not got the job done, but I'm at peace," McMillan said. "The disappointment will linger, but we can't change anything. It's done now.
"The reflection will be about remembering all the good stuff that happened. But I know that we are a tight group who feel the disappointment, who have ridden the highs.
"We will bounce back. The sun will rise in the morning, I think, here tomorrow, and life will continue.
"People probably don't realise how tough it is to just get to a final, and even tougher when you've been to a number and you haven't quite got the job done."
(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by William Mallard)
