Lions roar past depleted Chiefs

The Chiefs’ Super Rugby resurgence is over, with their week turning from bad to worse after being humbled 23-17 in Hamilton by the Lions.

First it was Monday’s news of Damian McKenzie’s season-ending knee injury, then it was Wednesday’s team naming which had fellow All Blacks Brodie Retallick and Nathan Harris, along with key backline member Solomon Alaimalo, to all also miss the clash, then it was the not so Good Friday for the hosts at FMG Stadium Waikato.

Looking to make it four wins in a row, a depleted Chiefs side was pulled apart by a Lions side who roared to life after recent struggles.

A second-half fightback wasn’t enough for the hosts, with their 20-0 halftime deficit being too large to reel in.

The Lions, runners-up the past three years, had fallen to the bottom of the South African conference on the back of a trouncing at home by the Sharks followed by a loss against the Brumbies in Canberra. Headed for a daunting task against the Crusaders next weekend, they were desperate to find something here.

They had winger Courtnall Skosan fly home midweek due to his father being gravely ill, and Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx and playmaker Elton Jantjies were originally surprisingly named on the bench, however in the end they were both late additions to the starting lineup, with Jantjies shifting out one to second five-eighth.

They had a mountain of early possession and opened the scoring in the 10th minute off the boot of Jantjies. It was then the home side’s turn to have a mountain of ball, at the right end of the field, but they just couldn’t for the life of them find any points.

Then, with Angus Ta’avao struggling for a second straight week in his shift to the loosehead side of the scrum, Jantjies doubled the visitors’ lead nearing the half-hour.

And with the shrill of referee Brendon Pickerill still ringing in his ears, Ta’avao was yet again dominated soon later by a massive Lions shunt, with his opposite – Carlu Sadie – the much appropriate benefactor after the lineout drive with the first try of the night.

There was a fair bit of doubt about its legitimacy, mind you, but TMO Shane McDermott ruled the ball did indeed hit the chalk before it was spilled.

But there was worse to come for the Chiefs, when a turnover ball was turned into a second Lions try in the final minute of the half. Returning skipper and No 8 Warren Whiteley dinked through a nice grubber and winger Aphiwe Dyantyi – last year’s World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year – scooted onto the favourable in-field bounce.

If that wasn’t bad enough for the hosts, the luckless Jack Debreczeni was laid prone while the players left the park, then stretchered off – though was later said to be all right.

After the Lions had first-five Gianni Lombard limp off early in the second half, the Chiefs showed some fight to get themselves back in the game.

In the 61st minute they finally got on the board, thanks to a brilliant snipe down a scrum blindside from stand-in captain Brad Weber, before some nice work from Anton LienertBrown and Shaun Stevenson sent Sean Wainui over.

And it was Wainui who then burst through the line straight from the kickoff. Dyantyi intercepted to save a try but his kick didn’t go out and a good Luke Jacobson run was soon finished by a barging Nepo Laulala.

Come the 76th minute the hosts clawed closer, when McKenzie kicked, Alex Nankivell scooped up and offloaded for Tumua Manu to finish.

But, despite the odd decision by Jantjies to kick a drop goal under penalty advantage with 30 seconds left, there was to be no fairytale comeback.

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