As the Chiefs played their way to victory in the Super Rugby final in Hamilton on Saturday, thieves robbed coach Dave Rennie's home.
The thieves took a safe containing Rennie's wife's jewellery and left the North Hamilton home "badly damaged".
"The safe was pretty small but getting it out would have been a hell of a job and they did a lot of damage in the process," Rennie told the Waikato Times.
"It certainly put a dampener on the night."
Concerns have been raised that the Chiefs are being targeted by thieves, after Sonny Bill Williams was burgled two months ago while out playing rugby.
"It is concerning," Rennie said.
"Unfortunately a small percentage of our community are involved in this - but I am not going to judge the people of Hamilton on what happened (on Saturday night); unfortunately there are people who prey on these situations."
Rennie was about to join post-match festivities in the city when his wife received a call from neighbours who said the ranch slider was wide open.
"I came straight home from the park and we had the police around. (The burglars) had been through all the bedrooms and ransacked everything - it was absolutely gutting," Rennie said.
The stolen safe contained a number of distinctive items of jewellery that were of major significance to Rennie's wife.
NZN