Brendon Leonard and Stephen Donald got to sit in the V8 Supercars of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes yesterday.
They could have been forgiven for longingly admiring the finely tuned engines under the bonnet, the throaty sound as the rev counter started spinning - it's been a while since they've
had the chance to play with anything approximating a well-oiled machine.
While The Tron transforms itself for a weekend of high-octane action, the Chiefs will try to jump-start a season stalled on the back of a crippling injury list, miserable home form and subsequent lack of confidence.
You cannot question Ian Foster's coaching chops after he guided the team from a similarly desperate position last year all the way to a Super 14 final, but if he can do something similar this season he needs to move out of rugby and into the miracle business.
Not only has he had to deal with All Blacks Mils Muliaina, Sione Lauaki, Lelia Masaga and Aled de Malmanche being unavailable for large chunks of the season, but the South African and Australian sides in particular have lifted their game. There are fewer gimme matches and only one on the Chiefs GPS - the Cheetahs - between now and the end of the season.
One of those teams on the rise are the Cape Town-based Stormers, who the Chiefs must edge past tonight to keep their slim semifinal hopes alive.
After watching the South Africans cast aside a Blues team that were on a high, it is tempting to give the Chiefs as much chance as a Toyota Prius has of beating the Fords and Holdens this weekend. But don't be so sure.
The Chiefs seem to operate best when expectation is low, and it's never been lower than it is now.
The senior players, those still available at least, have been put on notice after last week's late-match capitulation against the Bulls. Expect a response.
One cautionary note, however.
Foster can do all he likes up until 7.30 tonight, then it's up to his players. He needs to put faith in his navigators, particularly Mike Delany and Donald who will steer the side from Nos 10 and 12, just as they have for the past fortnight against the Highlanders and the Bulls.
The combination has shown glimpses of potential but the overriding impression is that the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
Chiefs centre Richard Kahui, one under pressure to reclaim the attacking verve that made him an All Black, sees merit in the combination and believes Donald can adjust to the second five-eighths role.
"He is still growing into it," Kahui said. "He's a big lad and the first few games he has shown he is good enough to play there. There are some areas he's not quite comfortable with but I'm sure he's going to get there."
Foster was a little more muted when asked about the combo's long-term future, admitting the All Black panel had been "interested" in seeing how the combination worked before the international season.
With so much on the line, a bad case of back-seat driving, perhaps?
CHIEFS v STORMERS
Hamilton, 7.35 tonight
TEAMS
Chiefs:
Tim Nanai-Williams, Lelia Masaga, Richard Kahui, Stephen Donald, Dwayne Sweeney, Mike Delany, Brendon Leonard, Sione Lauaki, Tanerau Latimer, Liam Messam (c), Culum Retallick, Craig Clarke, Ben Afeaki, Hika Elliot
Toby Smith
