A mug's guide to the Super Rugby final between the Chiefs and Brumbies

STRUGGLING to wrap your head round the game they play in heaven? This way for your mug's guide to the 2013 Super Rugby Final.

STRUGGLING to wrap your head round the game they play in heaven? Check out the mug's guide to the 2013 Super Rugby Final.

WHERE IS IT?

Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand

WHEN IS IT?

Kick-off is 5.30pm Saturday, with television coverage beginning on Fox Sports 1 from 5pm.

WHO'S PLAYING?

Chiefs

The defending champions from the Waikato region in New Zealand's North Island were the top-ranked side at the conclusion of the regular season, earning themselves a week off in the playoffs before they hosted the Crusaders in the semi-finals. They edged that game 20-19 in an all-time epic to book a second-straight home decider (last year with Sonny Bill Williams on board they smashed the Sharks 37-6 for their maiden Super Rugby crown).

Brumbies

The ACT's Brumbies topped the Australian conference and finished third overall on the Super Rugby ladder to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004, when they clinched their second title. They have bested the best of South Africa to reach the final, scraping past the Cheetahs 15-13 in Canberra before upsetting the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend thanks to Tevita Kuridrani's last-minute try. Not bad for a team that finished 13th just two seasons ago.

WHO'S CALLING THE SHOTS?

Dave Rennie (Chiefs)

Talk about a flying start. Dave Rennie is in just his second season of senior coaching but already has a Super Rugby championship to boast of, having guided the Chiefs to their inaugural title last year. Despite losing superstar Sonny Bill Williams following last season's success, Rennie managed to guide the Chiefs to first place in the tough New Zealand conference, top spot on the Super Rugby ladder and, finally, back to the big dance.

Dave Rennie

Jake White (Brumbies)

Where Jake White goes, success follows. The former schoolteacher kickstarted his rise to the top of the coaching tree when guided South Africa to the under-21 Rugby World Cup in 2002. He was promoted to the Springboks' top job in 2004, winning the Tri-Nations that year as he moulded a side that would eventually be crowned world champions in 2007. Last year he led a Brumbies side that had finished 13th the previous season and to within one victory of the playoffs. Now he's one win away from yet more silverware.

WHAT'S THAT NOISE IN THE CROWD?

That would be cowbells, a traditional form of expression for the Waikato region's rugby fans. Hey, they beat vuvuzelas. Chiefs supporters particularly like ramping up the cowbell decibels when opposition players are kicking for goal, so hopefully Brumbies sharpshooter Christian Lealiifano has been training with his headphones on and listening to this on repeat.

THAT BRUMBIES WINGER LOOKS SHARP, WHY ISN'T HE PLAYING FOR THE WALLABIES?

Yes, Henry Speight is a fantastic finisher that wouldn't look out of place in a gold jersey, but the Fijian-born flyer is ineligible to represent Australia ... at least for a few more months. Confused? Speight kicked off his career at, of all places, Waikato in New Zealand's NPC competition before moving to Canberra to play for Brumbies in 2011. But don't worry, he'll be right to play for the Wallabies in time for the Spring Tour of Europe. And as the clip below shows, it'll be worth the wait.

I'M A TAHS/REDS/REBELS/FORCE FAN, WHY SHOULD I BARRACK FOR THE BRUMBIES?

Folks, it is time to put aside any intra-Australian rivalries. Yes that means even you, Waratahs supporters. The Aussie rugby cabinet is looking rather bare at present, so any kind of silverware must be snapped up when it becomes available  and everyone should get behind any team that finds themselves in such a position. This Brumbies team isn't hard to warm to either. They're enterprising, full of attacking zeal (see the Top Brumbies Tries of 2013 video above) and not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do the dirty work either. And if you're a Wallabies fan you might as well get used to cheering these players on: it's not too much of a stretch to see this Brumbies backline filling out the Australian jerseys numbered nine (if, heaven forbid, a certain W. Genia wasn't available) to 15 in the near future.

TIP US A WINNER

Look, the Chiefs deserve to be favourites (sportsbet.com.au had them at $1.30 compared to $3.60 for the Brumbies early on Friday morning). They're the defending champions, they're at home ... and those cowbells. But this Brumbies team doesn't listen to the odds. And neither, today, do we. A clutch Christian Lealiifano penalty will see the Brumbies sneak home, by two.