Play nzherald.co.nz's rugby Pick the Score competition - go to: pickthescore.nzherald.co.nz
KEY POINTS:
Waratahs 11
Chiefs 7
It might be 100 years before the Chiefs turn in another performance as inept as the one they served up in Sydney last night.
Then again, they could play just as badly next week. Certainly there is no shortage of surprises with this lot.
Their set phase play was never expected to be a strength, but it was truly shocking. At times, the handling wasn't much better.
But the real surprise was that, despite what must rank as one of the worst displays in their history, they still could have won.
A lineout 5m from the Waratahs' line when they were four points behind and with five minutes left summarised their night.
Replacement hooker Aled de Malmanche, who had already served two crooked throws and another that overshot his jumper, didn't even throw the ball in. Instead he balked, then tossed the ball in disgust at prop Sona Taumalolo.
The botched play enabled the Waratahs to hand on for a win they barely deserved.
If anything, they were only slightly less inept than the Chiefs.
With hooker Hika Elliot struggled to find his jumpers, the Chiefs' lineout barely functioned in the opening exchanges.
But it was a raging success in comparison to a scrum that back-pedalled more vigorously with each engagement.
The Waratahs' dominance in the tight was matched by their incompetence around the field.
A glut of possession yielded little but an embarrassing array of fumbles and miscued kicks until Kurtley Beale got things right in the 16th minute, producing a neat cross-kick for Timana Tahu to cross out wide.
With only the barest scraps of possession, the Chiefs still created the better chances.
Sitiveni Sivivatu blew a golden chance to pull them level when he failed to ground the ball, and they eventually opened their account after an effective counter-ruck that dispossessed Wycliff Palu 5m from the Waratahs line.
Brendon Leonard went close with a sniping run, and a neat transition from lock Kevin O'Neil enabled Taumalolo to score.
Donald's conversion put the Chiefs in front, and they stayed there until the break thanks to three missed shots at goal by Beale.
The Waratahs five-eighths finally found his mark in the second half, producing a 35m penalty and a close-range drop goal to finish off the hapless Chiefs, who seldom threatened to produce anything above the level of utter mediocrity.
Waratahs 11 (T. Tahu try, ; K. Beale pen, drop goal)
Chiefs (S. Taumalolo try, S. Donald con)
Halftime: Chiefs, 7-5
