Chiefs looking to get in tune

Jono Gibbes

Jono Gibbes doubts any team is firing on all cylinders after just three rounds of the Super 14.

So he's out to add mechanic to his other job descriptions - lock, captain and all-round inspiration - when he leads the Chiefs against the Reds in Hamilton tonight.

The aim is back-to-back competition wins, and victory would take the Chiefs a further step away from the two losses in South Africa that kicked off their campaign.

The Chiefs lie 10th on the table. The Reds are 13th and still winless.

"I doubt any team feel they've got it all together this early in the competition," Gibbes said.

But there were glimpses of real class, particularly among the backs in the 26-9 win over an admittedly ordinary Force in Perth last week. There's still work to do, but there were signs they're on the right track.

No matter how hard the Chiefs try to forget it, facing the Reds in the fourth round has a familiar ring. A year ago, the Queensland outfit arrived in Hamilton in the same predicament, in the same round and won 20-6. It still eats at Gibbes.

"I'm still haunted by that game. It cut a few of us pretty deeply and for us senior guys - although there hasn't been a team focus on it - it is still in the back of our minds."

Gibbes reckons this year's Reds are superior to last season's team. He believes they have greater unity, are working hard and won't be easy.

The Reds pushed the Crusaders hard for an hour and might easily have beaten both the Waratahs and the Blues, so they're no slouches despite their position on the table.

They have been whacked hard by injuries, notably rib problems that have sidelined veteran lock Mark Connors and promising No 10 Berrick Barnes this week.

Rookie Cameron Treloar makes his starting debut at lock, and Barnes' absence thrusts Elton Flatley into the pivot role. The cool-headed Wallaby could be the ideal organiser for a team desperate to get its season under way.

Outside him is Lloyd Johansson, 20, who made a remarkable test debut with a try against the All Blacks at Eden Park last year but has battled to make the starting XV. This is his second start of the season.