KEY POINTS:
The Chiefs' losing run in the Super 14 rugby championship is over after settling for a 22-22 draw with the Cheetahs in an intense match at Bloemfontein this morning (NZ time).
With his team down 19-22 and time up on the clock, Chiefs captain Tom Willis opted to
take a penalty shot at goal rather than chase a match-winning try.
First five-eighth Stephen Donald duly slotted the kickable shot from 35m out - his fifth penalty - to see the Chiefs end a run of four straight defeats.
It was a result mixed with frustration for the New Zealand team, who led 16-3 after half an hour at Vodacom Park and played easily the more enterprising rugby.
However, they were let down by fundamental mistakes in the second half against a grim Cheetahs team seeking to reverse their hiding at the hands of the Crusaders last weekend.
The second half turned into a grind, marred by countless injury stoppages.
The worst appeared to be for Chiefs centre Niva Ta'auso, who was stretchered from the field with an apparent neck injury midway through the second spell.
Chiefs coach Ian Foster said Ta'auso had been taken to hospital but it was too soon to ascertain the extent of the big centre's injury.
Foster supported Willis' decision to take the late penalty shot, voicing frustration at Australian referee James Leckie's inability to allow the game to flow.
"We were struggling to get their bodies off our ruck ball so it was very hard to create any play," Foster told NZPA.
"And there were (injury) stoppages every two minutes and the rules are pretty clear about how the refs are supposed to deal with that but it didn't seem to happen."
Foster was proud of the commitment shown by his team.
"Playing the Bulls and Cheetahs in six days is a big ask and we could have won both games."
The result ends a three-match South African tour for the Chiefs, who slip further from the playoff picture.
Willis' final decision would have been a tough one as they needed a win to launch themselves from near the foot of the table. However, they had spent the previous 10 minutes hammering away at the Cheetahs tryline to no avail, having spurned two more difficult penalty goal chances.
Both teams scored a try each but the scoring was dominated by Donald and Cheetahs opposite Willem de Waal, who each kicked a conversion and five penalties. Neither missed a shot all night.
De Waal had the hosts up inside two minutes before Donald slotted penalties, the first coming after his side's rolling maul was held up over the tryline.
The Chiefs then enjoyed the best period of the match, resulting in a try to livewire winger Lelia Masaga, who jinked past a clutch of defenders, linked with Donald and Ta'auso before receiving the final pass himself.
Donald's third penalty gave his side a 13-point advantage but that disappeared before halftime when Cheetahs fullback Tiger Mangweni skipped over against the run of play.
The game turned into a De Waal-Donald penalty battle in a stuttering second half as the Cheetahs lost a handful of forwards to injury, resulting in uncontested scrums and backs playing in the forwards.
It was the second draw of this weekend's round of games, following the 16-16 stalemate between the New South Wales Waratahs and Western Force in Sydney last night.
The Chiefs return home tomorrow and have a bye next weekend.
Chiefs captain Tom Willis admitted his dilemma after the final hooter was "one of those difficult questions".
"We decided to take the points, which will give us two for the draw -- and the decision was made so we've got to lie in our bed now.
"We've had a long, hard tour and we wanted to come away with some points. While it's not ideal, it's better than walking away with one (point) tonight."
Willis said breaking through for their first win had become something hanging over the players' heads.
"If anyone said they're not conscious of it, they're lying," he said.
"But this team is getting better each week, we're starting to play a good brand of football and I think there's good things to come from this team down the track.
"In the second half of the competition we're going to be a force."
Cheetahs counterpart Juan Smith was unhappy about having the win snatched away late.
"It's better than nothing. We're not happy about it but we'll take the points," he said.
- NZPA
