Rugby: Kahui hot off mark in return

Richard Kahui was running hot on Friday night. Photo / Getty Images

The defensive clout was evident and, with more game time, Richard Kahui is likely to bring the accuracy and directness the Chiefs need to kick-start their campaign.

Far from being in a dark place with little hope, the Chiefs, especially having defeated the Sharks on Friday night, could be on the verge of stringing something together.

Their results are at odds with their ability to break the line and create opportunity.

Again, against the Sharks, they got about 85 per cent of their game right - the polish and composure are still not where they need to be in the final third of the field.

The propensity to force the last pass was still there, indicating a collective impatience to make things happen quickly rather than trust the job can be done in the next phase.

Sitiveni Sivivatu seems to be only partly engaged. He ran well, worked hard, but he's too casual in the contact areas and again spilled too much ball.

Some of the decisions around the base of the ruck were difficult to understand. Too many times the Chiefs went down the short side when there really wasn't one and, with the pitch so greasy, it was easy enough for the Sharks to ram bodies over the touchline and take back possession.

It's driving out those errors that will be vital to the rest of the Chiefs' campaign. Kahui, in his first game back since the depths of last winter, hinted that he could be the man to begin the correction process.

His tackling was vicious at times - his speed and reading of the game allowing him to hit opponents behind the advantage line. He also, critically, straightened several attacks and threw some clever passes: a no-look transfer to Sivivatu midway through the second half was enough to unpick an impressive Sharks defence.

In recent weeks the Chiefs have been too lateral - they have too many runners who prefer to go across first, find the space then try to straighten. What they have been crying out for is a direct presence; a post-contact player, someone who can play the ball after they have committed the defence.

That's Kahui's game and, while he made a quietly impressive return, coach Ian Foster doesn't want to burden his All Black centre with too much responsibility just yet.

"I think what we want from Richard at this stage is just to be able to focus on his role," says Foster. "We have talked about players taking individual responsibility and really what we need is to get a lot of basic stuff right."

Foster's reluctance to see Kahui become a guide is borne by memories of last year when the 25-year-old lost his form as part of a Chiefs backline that was young, inexperienced and lacking in leaders. With Mils Muliaina and Sivivatu both injured for long periods last year, Kahui became the senior figure and he struggled.

That's why Tana Umaga could be asked to play more this year than was initially planned. Not only is Umaga a natural leader and inspiring presence, the way he plays suits Kahui.

Their partnership could blossom in the weeks to come as Umaga hasn't lost that ability to offload out the back of the tackle. He made one searing break against the Chiefs and popped to Kahui who couldn't get the ball under control before he, too, tried to make a pass out of contact. Still, Kahui read the play and timed his incision. The accuracy will come.

Kahui deserves some leeway, having played only two development games in the past eight months. Most importantly, though, the strength of this partnership could be their abrasive defence. Umaga was among the best defensive midfielders of his generation and Kahui could be of his.

Chiefs 15 (M. Delany 4 pens; T. Nanai-Williams pen) Sharks 9 (P. Lambie 3 pens)

The Queensland Reds sit atop the Australian conference after maybe the biggest upset in Super Rugby this year when the Cheetahs won their first game in Australia - beating the Waratahs 16-3.

The Australians struggled against stubborn opponents. Down 6-3 at halftime, they had trouble combating a smothering defence and spoiling play from a Cheetahs team that contested the collisions and the breakdowns keenly.

Former Springbok flanker Heinrich Russow was the key in a contest which was not pretty but interesting in that it showed the modern game - supposedly favouring the attackers - can still be hi-jacked by a strong defence and clever spoiling play; snaring possession.

The Waratahs, admittedly lacklustre, were starved and then harried into mistakes when they had possession, with the Cheetahs swarming into the contested phases.

The turning point came when Cheetahs winger Philip Snyman - a former Sevens player - sprinted off for a runaway try after a thwarted Waratahs attack when a Berrick Barnes kick for winger Drew Mitchell drew a counter-attack.

Waratahs 3 (K. Beale pen), Cheetahs 23 (P. Snyman, C. Pretorius tries; S. Ebersohn 2 cons, 3 pens). Halftime: 3-6.

Meanwhile, the Melbourne Rebels returned to the bad old days of the first round when they were on the wrong end of a seven-try hammering from the Reds, going down 53-3.

In the first round, the Rebels were crushed 43-0 by the Waratahs before surprisingly beating the Brumbies in the next round. Of most interest to New Zealand fans was the display of Blues reject first five-eighths Michael Harris who eventually replaced Wallaby playmaker Quade Cooper. Harris, from North Harbour, showed elusiveness and awareness in scoring two tries; nailing a conversion as well in an impressive display.

Reds 53 (A. Fainga'a, A. Wallace-Harrison, S. Higginbotham, B. Daley, M. Harris 2, L. Morahan tries; Q. Cooper 5 cons, 2 pens; Harris con) Rebels 3 (D. Cipriani pen).