McKenzie stars as Chiefs see off Sunwolves
The Chiefs regained the lead of the New Zealand conference after dispatching the spirited Sunwolves 43-17 yesterday but it was certainly the least impressive victory of coach Warren Gatland’s tenure.
There was to be no repeat of the horror home defeat to the Sunwolves from 12 months ago, a low point of last season, but the Chiefs had to battle hard for long periods to beat the perennial Super Rugby strugglers.
An animated home crowd packed out Tokyo’s Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium and were perhaps as thrilled as Chiefs fans watching Damian McKenzie in full flight, with the All Blacks playmaker a key figure as the Hamilton-based side showed too much class and muscle in defence and around the breakdown.
In the absence of the rested Aaron Cruden, Anton LienertBrown and Sam Cane, McKenzie stepped up and was back to his brilliant best, making pivotal plays in all four of his team’s firsthalf tries and defending heroically, too. Angus Gardner saw his reckless grab of Trask’s neck as just a penalty.
It was then McKenzie’s first clean break which cut the hosts apart, leading to stand-in captain Brad Weber knocking opposing halfback Naoto Saito over to score after a sharp lineout.
For all their attacking endeavour, the Sunwolves were too weak, too often in defence and McKenzie cut through for the Chiefs’ fourth try, brushing off tacklers and finding Alaimalo out wide, who oddly handed the ball back to his fullback to touch down.
The home side managed to strike a blow before half-time, though, as the Chiefs lost Tyler Ardron to the sinbin and Georgian hooker Jaba Bregvadze crossed from an unstoppable rolling maul.
But Lachlan Boshier’s breakaway try early in the second half was a killer blow.
Shogo Nakano’s try raised the home crowd once more late in the second half but Tupaea and Trask’s scores afterwards secured the Chiefs the maximum five points.