Chiefs pain ends, sort of, after draw with Canes
The Chiefs’ Super Rugby pain has ended, but only kind of, after a 23-23 draw against the Hurricanes in Hamilton last night.
In a thrilling local derby, the 12,902 at FMG Stadium Waikato were left on the edge of the seats to the final seconds, as neither team could find the knockout punch.
The Hurricanes hadn’t won in Hamilton since 2007, when current Chiefs coach Colin Cooper was in charge of them, and that streak continues as a much-improved Chiefs side almost found their first win of their campaign.
It was just not quite to be, as Mitchell Brown knocked on well after the siren, with his team on the attack.
It had been a frantic final few minutes. With five to go a Marty McKenzie dropped ball in-goal looked like it may have handed the Hurricanes victory, only for Liam Mitchell to knock on at a ruck in front of the goalposts, before both teams continued to invite the other in to snatch it.
The Chiefs will take some confidence from their showing. They were immediately a different looking unit – not just thanks to their 1996 heritage outfit – but with a firstminute try to Anton Lienert-Brown injecting some much-needed confidence.
There was more patience to their attack, ridding the aimless silly balls they’d been given in previous weeks, and there were no needless dinks over the top to hand away possession.
Instead, better option-taking led them to a better space. Damian McKenzie was back in all his freedom at fullback, with brother Marty good in running the cutter at first five-eighth in his first game of the season.
Rookie winger Ataata Moeakiola was a standout on the left wing, ensuring a huge task for Jordie Barrett, who was run over at one stage – while the Chiefs’ previously woeful defence also steeled up for a decent chunk and their set piece was reliable.
All of this equated to the Hurricanes having to work hard for their rewards. They had plenty of willing participants – none better than fullback Chase Tiatia, who put in another outstanding display.
In an entertaining game, it was fitting of the Chiefs’ throwback theme night that there were seven penalties lined up in the match – six of them landed – in an era where scrumming and kicking for the corner is the norm.
Following a poignant pre-game minute’s silence where the teams embraced in a collective huddle to pay respects to the victims of the awful events in Christchurch just hours earlier, it was the Chiefs who flew out of the gates to open the scoring in the first minute.
After charging down Tiatia’s kick, Lienert-Brown, scooted 30 metres to give the Chiefs just the start they needed.
The Hurricanes almost found an immediate recovery through Matt Proctor, but TMO Shane McDermott ruled Du’Plessis Kirifi’s boot had just grazed the touchline. And Kirifi was left kicking himself more so soon later, when the openside flanker dropped the ball at the tryline off a powerful rolling maul which came from Moeakiola being penalised for a late hit on Jordie Barrett.
But, with Beauden Barrett having got the visitors on the board off the tee, they did indeed find the lead in the 15th minute when he offered a short ball from an attacking scrum to Proctor, who was this time not to be denied.
That lead was to be short-lived though, thanks to a stunning try to Damian McKenzie at the quartermark. After fine work off a scrum inside their own half from Tyler Ardron, then great contributions from Brad Weber and Tumua Manu, McKenzie seared the final 40 metres to the tryline, for one of those tries he’s been known for from fullback.
A Jordie Barrett long-range penalty brought the deficit back to one, before Beauden Barrett then superbly saved a try, or perhaps it was Manu who blundered one, in opting to go himself to the righthand corner but being stripped of possession.
McKenzie knocked two more over off the tee, the second of which came off the back of a real statement scrum on the stroke of halftime, to give the hosts a 20-13 advantage at the break.
A Beauden Barrett penalty early in the second spell brought the Hurricanes within striking distance, and then come the 51st minute they did just that, as Nathan Harris was brushed aside by Chase Tiatia, who provided for Wes Goosen to finish in style in the left corner.
Beauden Barrett’s touchline conversion gave the visitors a 23-20 lead, but whatever he could do, McKenzie could do likewise – just before the hour-mark slotting a monster penalty from the halfway line, calculated at 58 metres on the angle.
With 14 minutes to play he then had the chance to put the Chiefs back in front, from wide right, but suffered his first miss of the night.
And the score wasn’t to be changed. 23