Chiefs hold on in Wellington thriller
The teams scored four tries each, but the Chiefs won 28-27 on the back of a sublime Damien McKenzie performance.
It doesn't get much better than this. Rugby doesn't get much better than this.
Excitement, unpredictability, ebb and flow, courage, strength and controversy – this match had it all. What a marvellous game rugby is! When it's played like this, there is no game to equal it.
Describing it is beyond words. Detail would kill it, and so we shall confine ourselves to the highlights of a match that was itself a highlight.
In the first 10 minutes of the match the referee hardly had to intervene. In those 10 minutes there were two tries, a conversion and a dropped goal, two childish squabbles and a quick throw-in from touch.
Play went this way and that as the teams took turns in attacking, their minds set on all-out attack.
The 22 232 crowd had a thrill a minute and it lasted till the end of the game when their team strove to get past a one-point deficit
The Hurricanes were playing into the deceitful wind and scored first but after nearly four minutes of nonstop action there was a scrum on the Hurricanes' left. They went right and flyhalf Beauden Barrett raced straight through a yawning gam. With his left had he threw a long, perfect pass to Cory Jane on the right wing and Jane scored in the corner. 5-0 to the Hurricanes after four minutes after Barrett missed the conversion on his offnight with the boot.
The Chiefs kicked off and attacked. From the kick-off they put pressure on the Hurricanes who tried to run out of trouble, Barrett from his in-goal till Sam Cane slammed him to ground for a five-metre scrum to the Chiefs. The Hurricanes destroyed the Chiefs in that scrum and a penalty relieved the pressure but then the Hurricanes knocked on in the line-out and the Chiefs grabbed the advantage to attack. They bashed and Seta Tamanivalu was over for the try which the TMO confirmed as a try. Damian McKenzie converted. 7-5 to the Chiefs after 9 minutes.
The Hurricanes kicked off and attacked. On advantage Barrett kicked a dropped goal. 8-7 to the Hurricanes after 10 minutes.
You knew you could not blink.
The Chiefs kicked off. The Hurricanes attacked and a high tackle on Jason Woodward gave them a chance at a penalty goal. At the high tackle there was the third push-squabble, for which the referee moved the Chiefs on 10 metres and the squabbling ceased for the duration of the match. But Barrett missed the kick.
The Chiefs got the ball and, going right, 10 metres inside his 22, Andrew Horrell broke and gave to Tamanivalu who raced ahead and gave to Toni Pulu who headed for the right corner. He was being tackled when he managed to bundle the ball back to Tamanivalu who dived for the line, the lower half of his body over the touchline but in the air as he grounded the ball for the try. McKenzie converted brilliantly. 14-8 to the Chiefs after 21 minutes.
The Highlanders attacked through advancing phases till they were bashing at the line and Dane Coles was over for the try. This time Barrett converted. 15-14 to the Hurricanes after 24 minutes.
That was the half-time score.
As happened in the first half, the second half had an all-action start.
The Hurricanes went through 13 phases but the Chiefs won a turnover and from 12 metres inside his half McKenzie started sprinting. He was tackled three metres from the Hurricanes' line where the Hurricanes won a turnover and ran, but the Chiefs got the ball, went through advancing phases till Michael Leitch plunged over and McKenzie converted. 21-15 to the Chiefs after 44 minutes.
The Chiefs started passing from the kick-off but the ball fell loose near the half-way line. Vince Aso picked up and gave to Jane, who ran and gave inside to Coles who gave outside to TJ Perenara who raced away for a try. 21-20 after 48 minutes.
That had been eight minutes of non-stop running and on it went. Barrett kicked out from the kick-off and the Chiefs threw in quickly. Aaron Cruden kicked high and chasing McKenzie leapt and caught it in the air. McKenzie was back in action to take a pass from Tamanivalu who gave to Pulu who was tackled just short of the line but Taleni Seu was on hand to pick up and plunge over tor the try and after 52 minutes, the Chiefs led 28-21. On 52 minutes 52 seconds there was a scrum to allow players to catch their breath.
After a knock-on by the Chiefs in a line-out Perenara broke and gave to Ardie Savea who ran 40 metres before the combined efforts of McKenzie and Tamanivalu forced him out at the corner.
The Hurricanes won a Chiefs' scrum, Barrett went though a half-gap and backhanded the ball to Michael Fatialofa who gave beck to Barrett who scored. Woodward took over the kicking and goaled. 28-27 with 10 minutes to play.
With five minutes to play Chiefs prop Mitchell Graham went off injured and could not be replaced. This meant that the last four scrums of the match were uncontested, thus removing a weapon from the Hurricanes' armoury for three of the scrums were the Chiefs' put-in, the last one after the worst knock-on of the match.
Again Barrett broke and he passed to his right, a good pass in front of unmarked Woodward, but Woodward knocked on with a short way to run to the corner. The Chiefs got the ball from their uncontested scrum and kicked out to win the match by a point.
The Chiefs had 63% of possession in this match and the territory that went with it, but the Chiefs won the turnovers – and then the match.
Man of the Match: For his running Beauden Barrett would be a candidate. But there were also Chiefs' candidates – Seta Tamanivalu, Andrew Horrell, Michael Leitch, Sam Cane and our obvious choice – exciting, daring skilful Damian McKenzie.
The scorers:
For the Hurricanes:
Tries: Jane, Coles, Perenara, Barrett
Cons: Barrett 2
DG: Barrett
For the Chiefs:
Tries: Tamanivalu 2, Leitch, Seu
Cons: McKenzie 4
Teams:
Hurricanes: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Vince Aso, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Michael Fatialofa, 4 Blade Thomson, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles (captain), 1 Reg Goodes.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Loni Uhila, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Callum Gibbins, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Willis Halaholo, 23 James Marshall.
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Toni Pulu, 13 Seta Tamanivalu, 12 Andrew Horrell, 11 Sam McNicol, 10 Aaron Cruden (co-captain), 9 Brad Weber, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Sam Cane (co-captain), 6 Tom Sanders, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Michael Allardice, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Rhys Marshall, 1 Mitchell Graham.
Replacements: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Siate Tokolahim, 18 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, 19 Taleni Seu, 20 Maama Vaipulu, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Stephen Donald, 23 Glen Fisiiahi.
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referees: Nick Briant, Brendon Pickerill
TMO: Glenn Newman
