The Chiefs celebrate Brad Weber's second try against the Waratahs. Photo / Getty
The Chiefs celebrate Brad Weber's second try against the Waratahs. Photo / Getty
Chiefs 39 Waratahs 15
After easing past the Waratahs in today's quarter-final, the Chiefs will now face one of the most difficult challenges in Super Rugby.
Clayton McMillan's side boasted far too much quality and deployed it in clinical fashion against the Waratahs, producing a comprehensive victory at FMG Stadium in Hamilton.
The win sets up a semifinal trip to face the Crusaders in Christchurch, a destination that has been the terminus of a couple of recent Chiefs campaigns.
Last year they lost the final of Super Rugby Aotearoa in the Garden City; in 2017 it was a semifinal defeat at the home of the serial champions.
But after blowing away the Waratahs today - and after edging the Crusaders at Orangetheory Stadium in dramatic style earlier this season - the Chiefs will travel south full of confidence with a final berth on the line.
Today's clash was the Chiefs' first home playoff game since they won the 2013 final and this team did appear capable of matching that side's feats.
They were in command for just about every minute of the quarter-final, making an electric start and quickly extinguishing any fires when the Waratahs threatened to find a footing.
The Chiefs were deadly at the set piece, creative with ball in hand, dominant in defence and physically superior at the collision, controlling the game without enjoying a wealth of possession.
There was no sign of the side who almost threw away a home quarter-final against the Fijian Drua last week, and their fans certainly enjoyed the show after almost a decade's wait.
The Chiefs celebrate Brad Weber's second try against the Waratahs. Photo / Getty
That began with two well-executed set-piece tries in the opening 20 minutes - the first a long-range lineout finished by Brad Weber's angled run, the second a rapid maul that tore through the defence and allowed Luke Jacobson to cross.
It was clear those tries came straight from the training ground. And it was equally obvious how fortunate the Chiefs were for the third, as the Waratahs made a mess of clearing their lines and Alex Nankivell toed ahead a loose ball to accept the gift.
There were only a couple of blights on an otherwise dominant first half, with the Waratahs scoring a fine try of their own through Dylan Pietsch and the Chiefs being denied a fourth they probably deserved after being camped on the line right before the break.
But the 27-10 lead felt more comfortable than it looked, as the Waratahs were continually unable to get the ball into the right areas. The visitors had enough possession but were repeatedly repelled at the collision, losing ground on a few big hits, conceding too many turnovers and being largely consigned to playing in their own half.
The Waratahs found a more direct route back into the contest early in the second spell, though. After another promising Chiefs attack ended just short of the line, Michael Hooper released Will Harris in a brilliant length-of-the-field break from the loose forward combination.
But rather than that moment portending a Waratahs revival, it was more indicative of the messy nature of the match for the next 15 minutes, the lack of continuity better suiting the side who held a 12-point advantage.
Each handling error from the visitors saw their season slip further away and, before long, the Chiefs finished it off.
Appropriately, the final blows came from another couple of lineouts, with Weber scoring a second following some brilliant support play, before Pita Gus Sowakula was the beneficiary of another effective maul 10 minutes from time.
