Chiefs throw away their chances in the lineout

Bulls 29 Chiefs 26

A first half to forget will haunt the Chiefs as their semifinal hopes died against the Bulls yesterday.

It was always going to be a tall order to regain the ground lost during a 40 minutes in which the Bulls eased out to a 23-9 lead.

Skillwise, it was an average second half overall, but the Chiefs never gave up.

They outscored their hosts 17-6 in the second spell and Sosene Anesi's try three minutes from the end gave them a glimmer of hope.

But they were left to rue an opening spell in which the possession and territory numbers did them no favours.

Central to their problems was the lineout where hooker Aleki Lutui would have struggled to hit the side of a bus.

They lost six of 11 throws in the first spell and the consequence was that the big Tongan, whose bulk was needed against perhaps the biggest pack in the competition, was gone before the interval for the lighter but more accurate Scott Linklater.

"We didn't settle down and weren't smart enough at lineout time in the first half," Chiefs coach Ian Foster said.

"We spent the first half defending, but we felt we were starting to wear them down.

"Then they scored a soft try and that blew the margin out."

That try, by powerful flanker Jacques Cronje, came three minutes before the break.

Aided by lock Victor Matfield shunting him hard from behind, Cronje burst through weak defence to score by the posts.

It was crucial in that it gave the Bulls a big enough cushion to hang on. Matfield - whose deft infield flick pass set up the opening Bulls try - was outstanding in a Bulls pack which shoved the Chiefs about and made life miserable for halfback Byron Kelleher.

With other senior players unable to stamp their mark, and speedsters Anesi and Sitiveni Sivivatu anonymous for too long, the Chiefs had to try to get home with a rails run in the final quarter.

The one time the Bulls bombed a lineout, 19 minutes from the end, replacement Steven Bates made a deep, surging run, and Anesi's well weighted chip kick ahead gave Sivivatu a run into the corner.

David Hill's impeccable kicking - six from six to follow seven from seven a week earlier, and none better than the last from the sideline to convert Anesi's try - kept the Chiefs alive but they needed more than penalties.

"At halftime we certainly felt we were still in the frame and in the second half when we were able to get our ball we started to find holes," Foster said.

The Chiefs were on the end of two curious decisions by replacement referee George Ayoub, who stepped in when Scott Young got in the way of a Matfield charge and limped off clutching a knee soon after halftime.

Midway through the second half Marty Holah was penalised on a touch judge's word for punching at a ruck.

It was a laughable decision, although the Chiefs didn't see the funny side, as Holah was lying on the ground, flailing harmlessly upwards at a Bulls forward standing above him.

Foster said he was reacting to foul play. It served to frustrate the Chiefs at a time they needed cool heads.

Then Linklater was penalised for picking the ball up out of a ruck as the Chiefs rumbled towards the Bulls line 10 minutes from the end in their best attacking position of the match.

It was a critical moment, having the effect of releasing a pressure valve on the home team.

Foster rightly praised the Bulls for their set-piece talent, and at the same time gave his players a pat on the back for their never-say-die attitude in getting so close at the end. But yesterday close was not enough.

The Chiefs travel to Cape Town to play the Stormers next Sunday morning.