Chiefs on course for home quarterfinal after win
AUCKLAND: With a 3330 win over the Rebels in Melbourne yesterday, the Chiefs remain in pole position for a home quarterfinal.
With two rounds left in the regular season, the win over the Rebels leapfrogged the Chiefs back above the Waratahs and Hurricanes into fourth place on the ladder.
The Chiefs will back themselves to cement that spot over the next fortnight, with the easiest run home of the three teams.
The Chiefs host the Western Force (10th) before travelling to
Fiji to take on the Fijian
Drua (11th).
The Hurricanes go home and away against the
Rebels (ninth) and Force, while the
Waratahs go away and home against the Highlanders (eighth) and Blues (first).
However, the Chiefs will need to be vastly improved if they are to avoid nervous finishes like they had against the Rebels, where it took an 80thminute showandgo try from reserve prop Ollie Norris to overcome the home team, after the Chiefs were far too often their own worst enemies.
The Hurricanes overcame a poor first half to take down the Waratahs 2218 in Sydney on Saturday.
The visiting team was down 150 at the break, but the next 15 points came from the Hurricanes, Tevita Mafileo burrowing over immediately after halftime and Bailyn Sullivan crossing in the corner.
With 12 minutes to go, the Waratahs broke their scoring drought with a penalty to go up by three, but with five minutes remaining Ardie Savea powered over from close range to put the Hurricanes in front for the first time.
The Waratahs’ late hopes were dented when reserve prop Paddy Ryan was sent off for a shoulder to the head of Jordie Barrett, and the Hurricanes held on for a victory that jumped them from seventh into fifth on the ladder.
The Blues showed when effort and execution are taken care of, good things will happen, winning their 11th straight game on Saturday after being beaten by the
Hurricanes in the opening round.
Getting the better of the collision, bodies behind the ball and forcing the Reds to chase them around the park, the Blues were superb in most areas.
The Rds dug in early but were blitzed in the second half with five tries, slumping to a fourth straight defeat and an 04 record against New Zealand teams.
Fijian Drua has prevailed in the inaugural clash with Moana Pasifika, winning 3419 in Sydney on Saturday.
The first meeting of the competition’s newest sides proved a high scoring affair, the Fijians seeing off a fighting Pasifika lineup and claiming their second victory of the season.
But beaten Moana captain and former Wallaby Sekope Kepu said the match was significant for more than just the result.
‘‘Today was a special day, a historic day Pacific Island people, for Polynesian people,’’ he told Stan Sport.