Waratahs 23
Chiefs 16
Costly collapsed scrums encapsulated the Sydney Football Stadium's reputation as a burial ground for the Chiefs before New Zealand's Super rugby strugglers just failed to come back from the dead against the Waratahs last night.
The Chiefs had not won in Sydney since 2007 - plus only twice in 15 years - and that trend continued as they succumbed 23-16 despite staging a brave second half fight back.
However, the bottom-placed New Zealand franchise could not quite repair the damage caused by the sinbinning of Nathan White and subsequent penalty try in the 27th minute.
Instead they had to settle for a bonus point, fair reward that could not be denied by Kurtley Beale's stress-relieving penalty in the last minute - the Waratahs only return from the half.
Booed by their own faithful during a dire 20-point loss to the Cheetahs a fortnight ago, the crowd were in a happier frame of mind as early as the fourth minute when Auckland-raised Tongan wing Atieli Pakalani eluded the grasp of Sitiveni Sivivatu to cross after a neat pass from Tom Carter -- the ideal scenario for the Waratahs after they shunted the Chiefs off their first defensive scrum feed.
That initial engagement was a portent of doom for the Chiefs who later suffered the indignity of conceding a seven-pointer moments after tighthead prop White was sinbinned for persistent collapsing.
South African referee Jaco Peyper eventually lost patience with White - and the undermanned Chiefs pack - as the Waratahs spent five minutes camped within 5-metres of the line.
The damning sequence of events for the Chiefs began when Isaac Ross was penalised for dragging down a maul. Sensing his side's advantage at the set piece, Waratahs captain Phil Waugh opted for a scrum; White was pinged for collapsing a first time and after two more resets Peyper warned him about his alignment.
When the next scrum caved in White was yellow carded despite the protests of his captain Liam Messam and lock Craig Clarke. Then, with White barely seated, his replacement Sona Taumalolo also lost his footing as Wallabies loosehead Benn Robinson zeroed in on another weakness.
Peyper ran to the posts, Beale added the handy conversion but the Chiefs at least avoided added penalty while a man down when the Wallaby missed his first kick of the night seven minutes from halftime.
However White was the culprit again - in the final minute - when he infringed at a ruck to enable the Waratahs stand-in first five-eighth to boost the home side's advantage at the break to 13.
Fortunately for the Chiefs they shored up their scrummage after a dressing room lecture but the damage was irreparable - especially when their scant attacking opportunities were often sabotaged by poor passing or kicking options.
One of the most threatening back threes in the competition were practically a non-entity - Sivivatu and Lelia Masaga rarely ran on to front foot ball - though the final component, Tim Nanai-Williams, did signal the Chiefs second half resurgence in the 58th minute.
After spending just 23 seconds in the Waratahs 22-metre zone in the opening 40, the Chiefs finally gained a foothold when the fullback sniped over from close range after Ross had twice been thwarted centimetres from the line.
Mike Delany added the angled conversion to set up a tense run home as the Waratahs discipline deteriorated - but a 45-metre penalty attempt was astray and another from closer range in the 68th minute also drifted wide.
The momentum had clearly shifted but those misses kept the tiring Waratahs at arm's length until Nanai-Williams assumed the goal kicking responsibilities and trimmed the margin to four with eight minutes remaining after Masaga finally found clear air on a barrelling 60-metre burst to put the Chiefs on to attack.
Messam was also a catalyst for the Chiefs desperate rear guard action but when Peyper blew another infringement with time up they were consigned to their fifth loss in seventh games - and the realisation the play-offs are fading from view.
They at least earn a guaranteed four points from the bye next weekend and are provisionally 11th overall, a point ahead of the Rebels who play the Western Force today.
The Waratahs remain second in the Australian conference and fourth overall.
NSW Waratahs 23 (Atieli Pakalani try, penalty try; Kurtley Beale 3 pen 2 con)
Chiefs 16 (Tim Nanai-Williams try; Mike Delany 2 pen con, Nanai-Williams pen)
- NZPA
