Chiefs 20 Waratahs 17
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People think it's crazy to be playing rugby in February. Crazier still is playing in February and watching the Chiefs win, which they only managed to do when Stephen Donald held his nerve to land a last minute penalty.
It's become the Chiefs' own curious ritual in recent
seasons that they muck around until late March, using their mediocrity as a kind of dam to hold back and then release a torrent of form.
Tradition is a great thing but thankfully the Chiefs found a way to break its shackles last night and post a victory. They so nearly gave it away when they clocked off early after building a 17-0 lead.
That it came down to Donald holding his nerve will be a matter of some consternation for the Chiefs and they will conclude that the score became deadlocked at 17-all because they were never quite as slick as they would have liked.
The continuity was limited, the error count a little too high and the composure too readily misplaced, especially in the closing stages.
But they were vastly improved at the collision in comparison to last week and their set-piece work was solid bordering on dominating.
There was a definite improvement in attitude. No one stood off waiting for others to take control.
Jono Gibbes, far more comfortable with the reduced pace of the game, barked and growled and flung himself about. The front-row, buckled and bent by the Blues at Eden Park, found some venom and put heat on in the scrums.
They no doubt, too, had their confidence greatly enhanced when they realised they were burrowing into the amply cushioned Matt Dunning and Al Baxter - the world's least scary scrummaging duo.
With ascendancy at the scrum and a good handle on the breakdown there was a platform set for the more athletic talents of Liam Messam and Tanerau Latimer to shine through.
And shine they did. Messam looked far more like the future of New Zealand rugby last night.
He used his upper body strength and agility to twist and turn through four tacklers to score the first try and he was the man leading the defensive line when it was time to chase.
Latimer gave one stunning reminder that he's quick enough to play on the wing when he broke free early in the second half and was only just clawed down by Lachie Turner.
There was always a feeling, though, that the Chiefs loose forwards were more a duo than a trio.
Sione Lauaki, a notoriously slow burner who never quite gets going until the summer heat has gone, appeared to be carrying out a detailed ground inspection for much of the game, hands fixed on hips, head down, intently studying the pitch for much of the game.
If the Chiefs can spark him up, get him to at least give 40 minutes at full kilter rather than 80 at a stroll then they could be in business.
The Waratahs got stuck in and might prove to be a trickier beast than many suspect.
Their hopeless props aside, they have a mean backrow, a feisty halfback in Brett Sheahan and a very exciting prospect in Kurtley Beale.
In the space of two minutes the 19-year-old threw two perfect long, delayed passes and then almost wriggled through the entire Chiefs pack when he had the courage to dummy.
It was a dummy almost as outrageous as the one Sitiveni Sivivatu threw on his way to a spectacular try 10 minutes before half-time.
The All Black wing fielded a quick lineout, beat the first tackle and then foxed that he didn't know what to do next.
As Sivivatu looked hopefully at the men outside him, Wycliff Palu was daft enough to fall for the scared rabbit routine and the Chiefs wing straightened, took off and hammered his way through two tackles for a spectacular try.
It was a nice way to mark his 50th appearance for the franchise and a good way to remind everyone that his talent is like a dodgy relative - you think you have seen the last of it, only for it to turn up unexpectedly and cause a lot of havoc.
When Richard Kahui chipped in with a gentle reminder of his own skills to put the Chiefs 17-0 up with 25 minutes to go, the game felt safe. That was until first Ben Jacobs then Sam Harris helped themselves to soft tries to get the nerves jangling, and then Lote Tuqiri evened things up with five minutes to go.
Sadly, too, Kahui's try was his last act as he damaged his leg planting the ball. It has to be hoped the injury is not serious as in the 130 minutes of football the 21-year-old has played so far this season, he has looked as good an option as any to contest a place in the All Black centres.
Chiefs 20(L. Messam, S. Sivivatu, R. Kahui; tries; S. Donald con, pen)
Waratahs 17 (B. Jacobs, S. Harris, L. Tuqiri tries; K. Beale con)
SUPER 14
Chiefs 20
Waratahs 17
