Chiefs' journey from cellar-dwellers to champions one of the great stories of Super Rugby

SONNY Bill Williams says there is something about the area, and driving into Hamilton you can be sure this town is not big on "soft".

SONNY Bill Williams says there is something about the area. He can't quite put his finger on it, but driving into Hamilton, with factories sticking out of fields and giant locals sticking out of footpaths, you can be sure this town is not big on "soft".

"There's certain ingredients in that town," Williams said. "There are a lot of people there who are just getting by, and they are fighters." Like their rugby team, with whom Williams won the Super Rugby title with last year. Critics said they could never repeat the feat without the calibre of Williams in the midfield, yet here they are, defending their crown against the Brumbies as the most dominant team of the year. "I have just got so much respect for the players, the way they play for each other and how they are all mates," said Williams, who has spent time with the players, and in the Chiefs dressing room, throughout the season despite his commitments to the Sydney Roosters NRL club. "The neighbourhoods have always been a source of strength for the rugby team." It's difficult to imagine one of the world's most recognisable footballers being content in this city, with its tiny town centre surrounded by forest and farmland, and general lack of activity post-5pm. Yet Williams thrived in Hamilton, taking his rugby career to another level and dragging the team with him. Williams will never allow anyone to suggest he is responsible for the Chiefs' ascension, but he played a huge part in how the team is perceived by other Kiwi players. The Chiefs were once the laughing stock of New Zealand rugby, and now they have assumed the mantle as the nation's rugby powerhouse, all the more remarkable given the political influence wielded by those associated with the once-mighty Crusaders. Before Williams, no player would have willingly joined the Chiefs in the belief it would be the best springboard to the All Blacks. Up to 2004, the Chiefs were the only New Zealand side never to have made the Super Rugby finals. Even after that effort, they were a hit-and-miss clique until turning it around in 2009 with their first grand final appearance. But even that achievement was quelled by the result, a record 61-17 defeat to the Bulls that was felt as an embarrassment in New Zealand. After lean years in 2010 and 2011, the Chiefs administration appointed coach Dave Rennie. It was Rennie and his assistant Wayne Smith - a former All Blacks assistant - who convinced Williams to make the move from the Crusaders. In Rennie's first year he won the premiership, confirming many suspicions that he is the finest coaching talent to emerge from New Zealand in some years. "And it's how the whole coaching team operates," Williams said. "Rens, Smithy, Tom Coventry, who did work with the Samoan team as well, they're all incredible coaches and they work real well together. "They assembled a team with a great mix of youth and experience, and coach the way the players want to play." Brumbies coach Jake White, who himself assembled a star team of assistants in Laurie Fisher and Stephen Larkham, knows how important that has been to the Chiefs' success. "There is no doubt in my mind, they're well spoken about and they've been there and done it," White said. "Wayne, I know he gets a lot of credit as well for the fact he was part of the All Blacks. "I think in today's times when you're looking at coaching teams, and individual coaches like myself, you've got to make sure you've got the right people around you. "And there's no doubt the Chiefs have got some sort of happy medium there in what they've got as a make-up, not just player based, but with the coaching staff as well." This year the Chiefs have scored more tries and made more linebreaks than any other side. From the smallest population base of franchises in the country they have produced the most spectacular results. Unlike the big smoke, there has been little other than rugby for locals to cheer about. Times are so hard for some residents they show no regard for those who represent them on the field; both Williams's and Rennie's homes were robbed last year during games.