Life still tight for winning Chiefs

Sione Lauaki goes into wrecking machine mode which earned him the decisive try, 18 minutes from the end. Sandra Mu / Getty Images

Chiefs 16 Highlanders 13

Great. You win a tough grind after two slender defeats and still drop a spot on the Super 14 table.

That's the Chiefs' fate after heading off the Highlanders in Hamilton in a match where the scoreline was misleading. They should have won more comfortably.

The Chiefs should also have won at least one of the previous two games, losing by six points to the Crusaders and two to the Brumbies, but they played smart football in the closing stages on Saturday, making sure the action happened around the Highlanders 22 in the final four minutes.

The Sharks nabbed a bonus point in the final game of the round in beating the Reds to hop ahead of the Chiefs, who now sit ninth yet remain in the frame for the playoffs.

The enlarged competition - 13 games instead of 11 - could work in the Chiefs' favour, with one proviso.

"It's pretty clearcut now, every game becomes a final from now on," prop Ben Castle said. "So you become a little more desperate, every play becomes vital, and playing at home does lift you another 10 per cent."

The Chiefs are at home to the Bulls this weekend, play the Stormers in Mount Maunganui then the Cheetahs back at HQ. Win the lot and, as those above them bump each other about, they should find they're in business for the final run home.

Castle was an important figure in Saturday's win. He had to switch from his favoured tighthead to loosehead prop when Simms Davison was ruled out by a hamstring injury.

He hasn't played in the No 1 jersey for about five years and he was up against the hulking All Black strongman Carl Hayman, not to mention Anton Oliver and the more-than-useful Clarke Dermody.

Castle had newcomer Nathan White and hooker Aleki Lutui for company. The odd scrum creaked, but they stuck at it and that was an important element in the win.

"It was a pretty steep learning curve out there," Castle said. "Carl definitely taught me a lesson in a couple of scrums but as things went on they got a bit better, a bit tidier, so I really learnt the trade out there."

On another night, the Chiefs might have rued missed opportunities in the first half, even though they were clearly superior. The odd handling error just as a crack opened up in the Highlanders defence, the occasional judgment call that went wrong, could have meant an unfortunate outcome.

Instead, they were 11-3 up at the break, the only try a good one to Sosene Anesi, after the ball went through several hands for the flying winger to beat the cover defence to the corner.

The Highlanders closed it to one point early in the second half. Richard Kahui's opportunistic kick ahead enabled Callum Bruce to beat Sione Lauaki by a whisker to the touchdown.

It was about the only thing Lauaki came second in all night and it was appropriate he got the decisive try 18 minutes from the end.

He spent much of the night's work disguised as a bulldozer, carrying defenders with him as he carved off metres of ground.

At one point he went through five tackles up the middle, so that brushing off Seilala Mapusua and Ben Blair on a 15m run to the left corner was child's play.

It was set up by a delightful, instinctive feint by wing Sitiveni Sivivatu. As the ball was arcing towards him, he sensed both ball and Highlander Neil Brew arriving at the same point at the same moment.

The feint left Brew, who is no slouch, grasping at air as Sivivatu eased round him to set up the big No 8.

The Chiefs' defensive work was impressive. Steven Bates and Marty Holah helped Lauaki form a high quality loose forward trio; halfback Jamie Nutbrown, the odd ball retention issue apart, was snappy and made ground with sniping runs; David Hill in his first start of the season, was tidy and his replacement at second five-eighth, Sam Tuitupou, produced some strong, slalom runs through the Highlanders heartland.

The Highlanders didn't offer much going forward but stuck to the job to the end.

"There's still life left, but less and less," Highlanders coach Greg Cooper conceded of their playoff prospects.

Chiefs coach Ian Foster said: "The key thing is we learnt a hell of a lot tonight just by closing a close game out."