Chiefs 30
Waratahs 13
The Chiefs have made a statement tonight, shooting to the top of the New Zealand conference following a polished second half performance to beat the Waratahs 30-13 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.
It marked the fourth win on the bounce for the home side, which last completed this feat en-route to the final in 2009. Some of the players are the same, but this Chiefs beast has a whole lot more swagger and have announced themselves as genuine title contenders.
The Waratahs were coming off a morale-boosting escape to victory against the Sharks, and were hoping for a repeat of their last visit to Hamilton in 2010, when they thrashed the home side 46-19.
But it was not to be, the Chiefs got stronger and stronger as the game progressed and an early period of second half dominance filled with sturdy defence, and tidy ball recycling killed off the hope of any Waratahs resurgence.