Rugby: Chiefs cruise past Cheetahs

Sonny Bill Williams of the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images.

Chiefs 37
Cheetahs 27

Some of the same issues remain but the Chiefs were able to see off the Cheetahs this afternoon while still playing short of their best.

The Chiefs won their fifth game of an inconsistent campaign that was captured in microcosm at Waikato Stadium, playing some brilliant rugby to earn a bonus-point victory despite struggling in several facets.

At their best this season, the Chiefs have been brilliant, shining on attack in thrilling wins over the Crusaders and Stormers, in particular. But, in their two defeats, Dave Rennie's men have also been dogged by poor discipline and wayward handling.

This afternoon had a bit of both - the Chiefs' four tries showcased their full range of skills, while their 16 penalties and two yellow cards left open the door for the visitors far longer than it should have been.

Entering the game, the Chiefs had already conceded a competition-leading 26 penalty goals and were also the least-disciplined team in terms of cards, proceeding to play up to that reputation during a rollercoaster opening half.

Having shown in the opening 80 seconds exactly what they were missing in last week's loss to the Sharks, with superb ball retention seeing Michael Leitch convert a 60-metre move, the Chiefs soon lost their composure and begin to lose their grip in the match.

The first quarter had illustrated how dangerous a fully-firing Chiefs attack can be, displaying quick hands and clever link play between the backs and forwards to sniff out the smallest of spaces between the Cheetahs' defensive line. But it suddenly started to go horribly wrong.

Errors crept into their attack, the skillset was once again poor and a quality carry was seriously lacking, coughing up possession far too easily. It was just as bad when the Chiefs were without the ball, undone by repeated infringements that gave the Cheetahs a sustained spell inside the Chiefs' 22 and eventually saw Michael Fitzgerald and Ben Tameifuna sent to the sin bin.

The Cheetahs soon converted all the penalties into points, driving the lineout and crashing over the line through Boom Prinsloo to head to the break behind by just a point. While the lopsided penalty count certainly helped, the Cheetahs deserved the narrow deficit, having monstered the maul to enjoy superior field position and far more possession.

But the Chiefs pack found parity in the second spell, helping the hosts play at the right end of the field and boost their lead through a couple of penalties of their own. And, aside from a brief lapse at the other end that allowed their Cheetahs to lock the game at 20, the Chiefs continued to control proceedings as the game grew old.

The visitors were now struggling to even cross the halfway line and, while better option-taking would have seen the Chiefs kill off the contest earlier, Sam Cane's third try in as many weeks soon created a comfort level that was never threatened in the final stages.

Chiefs 37 (Leitch, Messam, Cane, Horrell tries; Cruden 4 cons, 3 pens)
Cheetahs 27 (Prinsloo, Brussow 2 tries; Pietersen 2 pens, 2 cons, du Plessis con)
HT: 14-13