1997 was a tough year for the Waikato Chiefs rugby team in the Super 12 Tournament. They won 4 of their 11 games and finished 10th overall on the table, this year the team was coached by Brad Meurant and captain by Ian Jones.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Auckland Blues | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 435 | 283 | 152 | 8 | 50 | |
| 2 |  ACT Brumbies | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 406 | 291 | 115 | 9 | 41 | |
| 3 | Wellington Hurricanes | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 416 | 314 | 102 | 10 | 34 | |
| 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 321 | 350 | -29 | 6 | 30 | ||
| 5 | Gauteng Lions | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 302 | 346 | -44 | 6 | 28 | |
| 6 | Canterbury Crusaders | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 272 | 235 | 37 | 4 | 26 | |
| 7 | Free State | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 301 | 327 | -26 | 5 | 25 | |
| 8 | Northern Transvaal | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 264 | 342 | -78 | 4 | 22 | |
| 9 | NSW Waratahs | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 255 | 296 | -41 | 4 | 20 | |
| 10 | Queensland Reds | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 263 | 318 | -55 | 4 | 20 | |
| 11 | Waikato Chiefs | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 272 | 295 | -23 | 3 | 19 | |
| 12 | Otago Highlanders | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 299 | 409 | -110 | 5 | 17 |
| Job | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Coach | Brad Meurant | |
| Assistant coach | John Boe | |
| Manager | Steve Gilbert | |
| Physio | Dennis Shepherd | |
| Physio | Chris McCullough | |
| Doctor | Chris Milne | |
| Doctor | Steve Reid | |
| Trainer | Peter White |
The Chiefs Squad for the 1997 Super 12 Season were:
| 1997 Chiefs Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Props
Hookers Locks | Loose forwards
Scrum-Halves Fly-halves | Midfield
Wingers
Fullbacks |
| (c)denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped. |