Reds wreck Chiefs’ winning run in nine-try bonanza clash
The Chiefs’ nine-match Super Rugby winning run has come to an end at the hands of the defending champion Reds in Brisbane.
The Chiefs, who increased their New Zealand conference lead over the Crusaders to eight points thanks to a bonus point but are now second overall to the Bulls, were beaten 42-27 in a ninetry bonanza at Suncorp Stadium in front of 36,479 fans.
To add to their woes it seems they have probably lost All Blacks centre Richard Kahui for the rest of the season with a dislocated shoulder suffered late in the first half.
Chiefs coach Dave Rennie admitted they were ‘‘outmuscled’’ by the Reds’ forwards and were put out of the running by a stunning 11-minute period by the home side either side of halftime when they scored four of their five tries and turned a 22-8 Chiefs lead into a 34-22 deficit.
‘‘I guess we were almost put off the game right there,’’ Rennie said.
The Reds’ loosies, led by standout 19-year-old opensider Liam Gill, had a field day at the breakdowns, stealing ball or forcing penalties at will.
‘‘We’ll have to have a closer look at it but you always query whether it was legal or illegal.
‘‘They certainly were good at getting their tackler back on his feet and in the way, blocking our guys getting through to clean out, but we just didn’t fight to stay up for long enough and weren’t effective enough at times cleaning out,’’ Rennie said.
Kahui would have a scan on his injured shoulder today but it was normally an eight to10-week injury that would end Kahui’s Super Rugby season but he would still be able to play for the All Blacks later on.
‘‘I feel for him because he’s a bloody good bugger, he’s been playing good footy and he was huge in the first 25 for us today.’’
Rennie said the Chiefs went into the match knowing it was an opportunity to put some space between them and the other Kiwi sides, and the bonus point they earned last night did increase their after a big run to the left corner by Kahui. That tied the scores 8-8 and Aaron Cruden’s conversion put the Chiefs in front for the first time.
Two more tries in the next eight minutes – to Messam after great initial work from Williams and flying wing Lelia Masaga, and then to Sona Taumalolo from a trademark pick-and-go launch at the line – sent the Chiefs out to 22-8.
For Taumalolo, it was the eighth try of the season for the big loosehead prop.
But if the Chiefs were feeling comfortable about that 14-point margin, they soon had that knocked out of them when the home team put together four tries in the space of 11 minutes.
The first one came after the halftime hooter when first-five Ben Lucas scooted wide following a series of pick-and-go attacks near the posts and beat Cruden’s defence on the outside for a try converted by Harris to make it 22-15 at the break.
And the Reds were not finished there, exploding out of the interval to score three more tries in the space of 10 minutes to not only notch up their bonus point but snatch the lead away from the Chiefs and take a 34-22 lead.
No 8 Scott Higginbotham, brilliant halfback Will Genia and replacement hooker Saia Faingaa got the touchdowns as the Reds became hell-bent on attacking the Chiefs around the fringes of the forward exchanges.
Harris converted all but the first try of the match to exacerbate the advantage the home team was suddenly enjoying.
The Chiefs tried everything they could to get back into the game and finally, in the 58th minute, left wing Asaeli Tikoirotuma got his team a four-try bonus point.
On the end of a wide attack off a lineout, the quick hands of replacement midfielder Jackson Willison and fullback Andrew Horrell gave Tikoirotuma the space to dive in at the corner to score the try.
But that was the end of their scoring, however, as the Reds continued to disrupt and Harris nailed a dropped goal and a late penalty goal for insurance.