Chiefs 19 Waratahs 46
The season can't end soon enough for the Chiefs. Even in the old days when they were properly bad, they still managed to win the odd game in Hamilton. Not many, mind, but more than the big fat zip they have managed in 2010.
Disastrous Chiefs campaigns are nothing new. This one, though, has a real sting. At least in the old days everyone knew the drill; constant failures were simply what the Chiefs did.
The expectation built on the back of last year's appearance in the final has made for some long faces. This was supposed to be the year the Chiefs took another step towards heavyweight status.
Instead they have regressed. They have fallen from some height and have made a terrible mess.
Injuries and bad luck have played a part. But last night was just a rotten performance. The scoreline said it all. Or maybe it didn't - as the Waratahs tossed away most of the extras, preferring to take five point chunks.
The first 40 minutes especially were tragic. The Chiefs couldn't get their hands on the ball and when they did they were determined to kick it away. There was no punch to any of their cleaning out and their first-up tackling was soft.
They ended the half with zero - and were lucky at that. The Waratahs could hardly believe their luck.
They came with three objectives - take five points; restore their confidence ahead of what will effectively be an extra playoff round against the Hurricanes and convince themselves, after defeat to the Highlanders, they have what it takes to beat teams from New Zealand.
It was tick, tick and tick and back home to Sydney for tea and crumpets. The Hurricanes will pose an infinitely harder challenge but the Waratahs will at least be confident now that, if they play with tempo and width and keep Berrick Barnes in the No 10 jersey, they will be a considerable handful themselves.
Barnes is a natural playmaker and the more he was on the ball last night the better the Waratahs became. He played with the ball in front of him, opening space for the legion of men the Waratahs could leave lurking in the wilds.
There was creative use of the inside pass around the fringes and banging up the guts served the visitors well as their forwards were adept at off-loading and recycling.
There was considerable mileage, too, from Drew Mitchell and Kurtley Beale. The latter looks more assured at fullback than at first five and the Chiefs' defence gave him the space to show he can be a class, all-round act.
Mitchell scored a spectacular try in the opening minutes where he danced past the first wave of kick-chasers, cut inside, chipped through and gathered.
It was the sort of try the Chiefs scored last year when Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Leila Masaga combined. They are on the medium-to-long term injury list as is Mike Delany, while Stephen Donald was also absent.
The starting backline was a glimpse of the future. Tim Nanai-Williams, Jackson Willison and Jason Hona are young and inexperienced and were exposed as such.
The shellacking they took is probably what they need. This was a night they should always remember as one they never want to experience again.
The final 20 minutes were an improvement - Brendon Leonard and Aled de Malmanche came off the bench to add aggression and straight running lines.
Sadly, the Chiefs needed more than two ground troops and 20 minutes of cohesion.
Chiefs 19 (J. Willison 2, T. Nanai-Williams tries; C. Bruce 2 cons), Waratahs 46 (D. Mitchell, B. Mowen, T. Polota-Nau, K. Beale, L. Turner, B. Barnes, D. Fitzpatrick tries; B. Barnes 2 cons, pen; D. Halanhagu 2 cons). Halftime 0-27.
