The Chiefs would also have been delighted to welcome back All Black Wallace Sititi, who’s been absent all season after a knee injury at the end of 2024, even if it was just for 10 minutes.
Victory consolidates the Chiefs’ position at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table, and challenges the Crusaders to beat the Highlanders with a bonus point to have any hope of leapfrogging them to take pole position.
However, the Chiefs’ stocks in the backline appear dangerously low, losing replacement fullback Kaleb Trask, and forcing loose forwards and halfbacks to fill in out of position.
It took the Chiefs just over a minute to score the first points of the evening, as Jacomb converted a penalty after Will Harris was called for obstruction at the kick-off.
But two lost lineouts inside their own half saw the Chiefs concede the first try. As a Ben Donaldson kick found touch on the right, a stolen throw from centurion Samisoni Taukei’aho saw the Force regather possession, as the backline sent Bayley Kuenzle over on the left.
That only sparked the Chiefs into life. A stab over the top from Shaun Stevenson landed perfectly in Emoni Narawa’s possession, as the winger raced through to score, and see the Chiefs back into the lead.
However, the lead lasted just seconds, as the Force caught the Chiefs napping from the following kick-off and winger Harry Potter pounced to dot down in the right corner.
With over an hour left to hold on to their lead, the Force’s efforts were hit when centre Sio Tomkinson was shown a yellow card, as his shoulder connected with the head of Jacomb fielding a kick.
And with that numerical advantage, the Chiefs hit back straight away in another change of lead, as Taukei’aho went over from a scrum, despite calls for a knock-on when Cortez Ratima fumbled.
Another Donaldson penalty locked the scores at 15-all, before another from Jacomb pushed the Chiefs back into the lead.
That lead increased again in bizarre circumstances. The Chiefs appeared to have scored their third before halftime, as Kaylum Boshier grounded the ball behind the Force tryline, only for the referee and TMO to rule it out, and play continued.
However, once the replay was called to explain to the players why the try had been ruled out, the decision was reversed, and the try was awarded in the Chiefs’ favour. The half ended with the hosts 10 points ahead.
As they did in the first half, the Chiefs started the second on the front foot. As Jacomb freed Ratima to break into the Force 22, the Chiefs set the platform for Ollie Norris to barge over from close range.
And having been so instrumental one try earlier, Ratima turned scorer just minutes later when Boshier sent him through for the Chiefs’ fifth.
While the Chiefs played out the second half without conceding a week ago, the Force did what their Kiwi counterparts couldn’t. A kick through the line left the Chiefs exposed at the back, and saw Potter run through for his second of the night.
Already depleted in their backline, the Chiefs were struck when substitute Kaleb Trask limped off injured, and saw a reshuffle with usual halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi play out of position.
But that didn’t stop the home side. Ratima – now playing as a winger – had a second as Stevenson broke the line and offloaded back inside him for another try, before rain started to fall to limit the running rugby.
And even if the backline was down to bare bones, the Chiefs’ forward punished the Force further when captain Luke Jacobson crept over from the back of a scrum.
The last 10 minutes saw Sititi’s return, as Boshier shifted to the wing to cover the holes in the backline.
With minutes left on the clock, Daniel Rona raised the half-century with the eighth and final try, as the Chiefs continue to set the pace in Super Rugby.
Chiefs 56 (Narawa, Taukei’aho, Boshier, Norris, Ratima 2, Jacobson, Rona tries; Jacomb 5 conversions; Jacomb 2 penalties)
Western Force 22 (Kuenzle, Potter 2 tries; Donaldson 2 conversions; Donaldson penalty)
HT 25-15
