The Chiefs have made a huge statement in their bid to win three Super Rugby titles in a row with a 32-20 victory over the Blues at their new home ground in New Plymouth last night.
And they did it with both their attack and defence, scoring four tries to two to gain maximum points and stay atop the New Zealand Conference going into next week's bye with 35 points.
Celebrating halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow's 50th game, the Chiefs scored both via their forwards with last year's leading try-scorer, tighthead prop Ben Tameifuna, grabbing touchdowns early in each half, and in their backs where elusive centre Tim Nanai-Williams and fullback Tom Marshall both scored from a long way out.
There was little in it in terms of possession statistics in the first spell, but while the Blues looked the more dangerous team early on it was the Chiefs who emerged 20-13 in front at halftime.
The Blues scored first in the seventh minute when dangerman Ma'a Nonu broke a tackle and put juggling left winger Lolagi Visinia over in the left corner.
Blues first-five Stephen Hickey kicked the conversion from wide out but three minutes later the Chiefs, on the back of their first real piece of field position, levelled at 7-7.
This time the Blues, trying to clear under pressure, got their exit play all wrong with halfback Bryn Hall's high pass going through Nonu's hands. Hickey was unable to tidy up, Chiefs flanker Sam Cane snapped up the loose ball and a quick blindside attack saw fullback Marshall put Tameifuna over in the left corner with a cut-out pass.
Gareth Anscombe's wide-angled conversion tied up the scores, then he won a kicking duel that put the Chiefs back on attack and midway through the half they scored an impressive team try that saw the ball go through multiple hands, Cane accelerate through a gap and Nanai-Williams offload to right winger Dwayne Sweeney.
Sweeney stayed on his feet and found Nanai-Williams in support on the inside to score a fine try that Anscombe converted.
The second quarter scoring was restricted to penalty goals and from it the home team emerged with a seven-point lead to take into the changing rooms. Crucially Tameifuna scored his second try soon after the restart to increase the Chiefs' lead to 25-13. When Brodie Retallick disrupted a Blues defensive lineout, hooker Nathan Harris pounced on the loose ball and after an unsuccessful dab by Tanerau Latimer it was Tameifuna who drove over with some help from his fellow big boppers.
Then the Chiefs' quick men showed the red, yellow and blacks are not one-trick ponies with a sweeping counter-attack initiated by Bundee Aki and then created by Nanai-Williams who accelerated away, veered infield to draw three defenders and then offloaded to Marshall to score the bonus-point try in the right corner.
Anscombe's conversion took the Chiefs out to 32-13 but the Blues then upped the ante as they desperately tried to attack their way back into the match and earned a string of penalties that resulted in a warning from referee Mike Fraser.
<a target="_blank" href="http://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BqeeC9jhtU6zdJdf79QWusoH4CAAAAAAQASAAOABQgcDQ4v3_____AViMktUbYKu0soXkKIIBCWNhLWdvb2dsZbIBD3d3dy5zdHVmZi5jby5uesgBCagDAeAEAqAGH-AGgdHLAQ&num=0&sig=AOD64_3Upaj8pU290rrF4P5knd4lAnL_VA&client=&adurl=http://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk%3Fsa%3DL%26ai%3DBArx39ThtU57RM8K58AWx_IDIDKOYxNEEAADg5aQBEAEgADgAWKOG55epAWCrtLKF5CiCARdjYS1wdWItOTM2Njg2NzE3NDIwMzc3MrIBD3d3dy5zdHVmZi5jby5ueroBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBZWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuc3R1ZmYuY28ubnovc3BvcnQvcnVnYnkvc3VwZXItcnVnYnkvMTAwMzAzMzMvQ2hpZWZzLXRpdGxlLWhhdC10cmljay1iaWQtZ2V0cy1iYWNrLW9uLXRyYWNrqQISvOG6guasPsACAuACAOoCJjY2NzQvb25sLnN0dWZmLnNwb3J0L3J1Z2J5Ly9zdXBlcnJ1Z2J5-ALy0R6QA6ALmAOgC6gDAeAEAaAGHw%26num%3D0%26sig%3DAOD64_1E0a-FS29GjL9U8A4CIsjaRZUEHw%26client%3Dca-pub-9366867174203772%26adurl%3Dhttp://www.meridianenergy.co.nz/about-us/in-the-community/sponsorships/kidscan/%253Futm_source%253Dstuff%2526utm_medium%253Dbanner%2526utm_content%253Droscpc%2526utm_campaign%253Dmeridiankidscan"><img src="http://s0.2mdn.net/3336321/2-kidscan_digital_banners_300x250.jpg" width="300" height="250" border="0" alt="Advertisement" galleryimg="no"></a> <A HREF="http://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BArx39ThtU57RM8K58AWx_IDIDKOYxNEEAADg5aQBEAEgADgAWKOG55epAWCrtLKF5CiCARdjYS1wdWItOTM2Njg2NzE3NDIwMzc3MrIBD3d3dy5zdHVmZi5jby5ueroBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBZWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuc3R1ZmYuY28ubnovc3BvcnQvcnVnYnkvc3VwZXItcnVnYnkvMTAwMzAzMzMvQ2hpZWZzLXRpdGxlLWhhdC10cmljay1iaWQtZ2V0cy1iYWNrLW9uLXRyYWNrqQISvOG6guasPsACAuACAOoCJjY2NzQvb25sLnN0dWZmLnNwb3J0L3J1Z2J5Ly9zdXBlcnJ1Z2J5-ALy0R6QA6ALmAOgC6gDAeAEAaAGHw&num=0&sig=AOD64_1E0a-FS29GjL9U8A4CIsjaRZUEHw&client=ca-pub-9366867174203772&adurl=http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N2758.StuffNZ/B8108794.108640729;sz=300x250;kw=[url_encoded_publisher_data];ord=1680293965?">< IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N2758.StuffNZ/B8108794.108640729;sz=300x250;kw=[url_encoded_publisher_data];ord=1680293965?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Advertisement"></A>
The Chiefs upped the intensity and effectiveness of their defence in the second 40 minutes and forced a number of turnovers as well as mistakes from the likes of Blues game breaker Nonu.
But again penalties became a problem and Fraser lost patience, showing Nanai-Williams a yellow card with 15 minutes to play.
The Blues sensed their chance and threw everything at the Chiefs' line, the defence holding up well until the numbers ran out on the blind side and centre George Moala grabbed the visitors' second try in the left corner, replacement Ihaia West converting from wide out to narrow the scoreline to 32-20.
On came the Chiefs substitutions to try and lift their effort in the final 10 minutes.
The impact was immediately obvious and replacement hooker Mahonri Schwalger was unlucky not to be awarded a try by TMO Glenn Newman when replays showed the ball touching the edge of the goal line.
Then the Chiefs had to see the rest of the game out defending their line in the face of a mounting penalty count, but they denied the Blues the consolation of even a bonus point to stay firmly planted at the bottom of the conference.
Chiefs 32 (Ben Tameifuna 2, Tim Nanai-Williams, Tom Marshall tries; Gareth Anscombe 3 conversions, 2 penalty goals) Blues 20 (Lolagi Visinia, George Moala tries; Stephen Hickey conversion, 2 penalty goals; Ihaia West conversion). Halftime: 20-13 Chiefs
- Waikato Times
...link to some sweet tries if you missed the action last night...
