It's all uphill from here for Chiefs

Chiefs five-eighths David Hill pushes off Ma'a Nonu last night Picture / Mark Mitchell

The Chiefs ambitions to make it back-to-back semifinal appearances all but expired in Wellington last night.

When All Black captain Tana Umaga picked up a loose ball and sprinted 50 metres to the corner nine minutes from the end, it was a cruel 28-16 finish for the Chiefs, who could not be faulted for spirit and resolve at the Cake Tin. That try removed even the consolation of a bonus point.

Not only do they now need to win from here on in - and that includes the trip to South Africa - they will need other results to fall their way.

"We're down at the moment but we can take heart out of that performance," captain Jono Gibbes said last night.

In a tight scrap, the Hurricanes won because they took their chances, starting and ending the second half stronger. Yet the Chiefs hit the ground running and were all over the Hurricanes for 25 minutes. They had more urgency around the park, had the superior scrum and looked up for a big night.

Coach Ian Foster had rejigged his back three, with Sitiveni Sivivatu on his comeback at left wing instead of the anticipated fullback, Sosene Anesi at the back and Sailosi Tagicakibau on the right wing. They all got involved, Sivivatu and Anesi being especially treatening all night.

It was baffling that the Chiefs needed a David Hill penalty on the stroke of halftime just to go to the break level at 10-10. The Hurricanes looked as if they weren't ready for the kickoff and it took them 25 minutes to stir into life.

The greasy surface did not help handling and as the first half wore on the Chiefs joined the Hurricanes in being generous to their opponents at the points of contact. At times, one turnover was quickly followed by another from the other side. Coaches don't like that sort of generosity.

Hill made sure the Chiefs took advantage of their early dominance, stepping off his left foot and wrestling his way to the line in a brace of tackles in the eighth minute.

Mark Ranby toed ahead but was was beaten by the dead ball line.

It took a surging Ma'a Nonu run down the left in the 25th minute to get some life into the Hurricanes.

First five-eighths Jimmy Gopperth got no change out of Marty Holah in his search for space but his 32nd minute penalty got the Hurricanes moving.

Things brightened for the home side when, maybe benefitting from a borderline forward pass after a Chief had lost possession at a maul, halfback Piri Weepu toed the ball ahead and won the race to the ball.

The Hurricanes revved up at the start of the second spell and kept it going. Nonu, Tana Umaga and Conrad Smith started to find space and after Gopperth had put them in front with another penalty, Shannon Paku caught the Chiefs defence wrongfooted, slipped a couple of tackles and Smith was on hand to score.

The key moment came 15 minutes from the end, Sivivatu's pass to a flying Anesi ruled marginally forward. It stopped a certain try. Umaga's opportunism then put the game decisively out of the Chiefs' reach.

Hurricanes: P. Weepu, C. Smith, T. Umaga tries; J. Gopperth 3 pen, 2 con.

Chiefs: D. Hill try, 3 pen, con. HT: 10-10.