Chiefs haka for leader Cane

Chiefs centurion Sam Cane recalled being spat out the side of a ruck and watching helplessly as his team-mates were defending for their lives while the Highlanders were throwing the kitchen sink to try to snatch victory in Hamilton.

The Chiefs led 27-22 with the Highlanders hot on attack in the dying minutes and it looked as though one crisp pass from visiting halfback Aaron Smith would find a Highlander in space to score a potentially match-winning try.

But with the ball buried among a throng of bodies in the middle of a ruck under the posts, the Chiefs won a turnover at the most crucial time on an occasion they dedicated to their talismanic leader, who was playing his 100th game for the franchise on Friday.

It was the kind of magic act Cane has pulled off so often during his seven-year career, in becoming the openside flanker to take Richie McCaw’s place in the All Blacks, and it’s inspired his team-mates to stand up and be counted when it matters most.

Cane looked up to see the returning Charlie Ngatai booting the ball clear and the Chiefs survived a final onslaught.

‘‘You’ve just got to look at our captain. It was a big motivation to get a win for him,’’ Chiefs midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown said. ‘‘We talked about it during the week; he’s the one always leading the pack and it was time for us to step up for him.’’

Cane deflected the praise but there was a special reception for him on and off the field after the Chiefs won their fourth game on

I’ll certainly remember it for a long time. Sam Cane

the trot in Super Rugby.

The haka the Chiefs performed in the changing rooms for Cane reverberated around the tunnel and that sent shivers down the 26-year-old’s spine.

‘‘You try not to focus on it too much but the team did a few things that were pretty special. I’ll certainly remember it for a long time,’’ Cane said.

‘‘There were nice words from some pretty special people, I got a cool framed jersey, and the haka in the changing room was spinetingling.’’

Cane played the full 80 minutes on a night that belonged to him and the Chiefs after Sean Wainui’s 68th-minute try proved to be the match-winning moment.

Chiefs coach Colin Cooper conceded the result could have gone either way and the Highlanders twice led, 7-6 and 22-20, before the hosts held on in the final minutes.

Cooper said the desire among his team to follow the example Cane had set since his debut in 2011 was inspiring, but he was also questioning how the Chiefs dominated possession and territory to lead 20-7 and then found themselves trailing in the final quarter.

‘‘It’s the heart and the resolve to follow their leader. He’s exceptional, isn’t he?

‘‘But, as I’ve said before, you can only win so many on heart. If we got smart with heart, then we could be even more of a threat.’’

Cane also wondered quite how the Chiefs came so close to squandering a healthy lead in the second half as the Highlanders clawed their way back into the contest.

‘‘They did some things very well, but we did some things poorly and that opened the door for opportunities for them to take.’’