Nanai-williams on song as Chiefs start in winning fashion

TIM Nanai-Williams grabbed a brace as the Waikato Chiefs made a winning start to their Super Rugby title defence with a 41-27 bonus point victory over the Otago Highlanders in a seven-try thriller yesterday.

The centre crossed once in each half and wingers Patrick Osborne and Asaeli Tikoirotuma also got on the scoreboard, while debutant Chiefs fullback Gareth Anscombe added 21 points with an almost perfect display of kicking.

The Highlanders held the lead three times in an engaging contest but in the end tries from their back three – Ben Smith, Hosea Gear and Kade Poki – were not enough.

ACT Brumbies turned the screw in the second half to overturn a narrow deficit and earn a convincing 30-13 bonus point victory over the Rebels.

Fullback Jesse Mogg backed up his brace from the opening weekend with a brilliant individual try in the first half and it was his break that set up a first try since his comeback from retirement for former Wallabies star Clyde Rathbone.

Australia flanker Scott Higginbotham grabbed his first try for the Rebels, however, and two penalties and a conversion from James O’Connor gave the hosts a 13-12 lead at halftime.

With openside David Pocock leading the Brumbies’ dominance of the breakdown, the visitors kept the Rebels scoreless after the break and racked up 18 unanswered points, including tries from skipper Ben Mowen and replacement back Robbie Coleman.

Mogg has started the new season on fire and only five minutes had gone when he exploded up the sideline, chipped the ball past the last defender and beat Nick Phipps in a footrace to ground the ball.

Some 12 minutes later, Mogg’s opposite number O’Connor showed his class by skipping past four defenders before offloading to Higginbotham, who raced across the line to score.

Rathbone benefited from another burst up the middle from Mogg to touch down in the corner four minutes before the break.

Two Christian Lealiifano penalties and a rampaging run for a try from No 8 Mowen took the Brumbies out to a healthy lead.

The fourth try for a bonus point looked inevitable and Coleman duly delivered by running straight through the hapless Beale.