Liam Messam and the Chiefs want to follow in the Crusaders' footsteps © Getty Images

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When the Chiefs won their first Super Rugby title in 2012, few people believed they could be champions again this year. But it's a fair bet that pundits won't be as quick to dismiss their chances of claiming a hat-trick of titles after their 27-22 victory against the Brumbies at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday.

As the celebrating got under way, Aaron Cruden was quick to say the critics had not dented the team's self-belief this year. And it's hard to imagine things being any different next year, even with the departure of Craig Clarke, Richard Kahui, Brendon Leonard, Lelia Masaga and Toby Smith.

"There are always going to be critics and people saying you can't do this, you can't do that," Cruden said. "But as a group we just have to keep working hard. We know our ability and we have got a lot of self-belief, and that's definitely shown in the last couple of years. Next year we'll be aiming for another."

The Crusaders are the only franchise to have completed a Super Rugby "threepeat", from 1998 to 2000, but the tournament then was a 12-team competition. Now the tournament stretches over five months, teams play 16 round-robin matches before the play-offs, and there is a international window to allow June Tests.

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie is well aware of the pitfalls.

"Your concern is that when you've won a championship, are you going to be quite as desperate next season," he said. "But to the credit of these boys, they've worked bloody hard. They are a special group. They are certainly highly motivated."

Rennie has shied away from the idea that he is building a dynasty, despite winning back-to-back titles. "It's such a tough comp," he said. "Dynasties are the sort of thing that you maybe reflect back on. We've won a couple of titles. Next year it will be about realising how hard we've had to work to achieve what we've done and trying to replicate that."