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Chiefs 19-23 Highlanders
Visitors' spirit leave Chiefs green with envy
The Highlanders recorded an excellent victory at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday night, overcoming a ten-point deficit early in the second half to prevail over their injury-hit hosts.
Despite an encouraging opening period which saw a wonderful opportunist try from Lelia Masaga, the Chiefs succumbed to a number of injuries to key men as the second half unfolded and conceded quick-fire tries to Aaron Smith and Phil Burleigh to hand the win to the men from Otago.
Jamie Joseph's Highlanders got off to the best possible start and were awarded a penalty at the first breakdown of the game for hands in the ruck; fly-half Chris Noakes slotting the shot at goal to get the scoreboard immediately ticking over.
Opposite outside-half Aaron Cruden was given a similar opportunity in the fourth minute as Highlander forwards were pinged for not rolling away at ruck-time and the All Blacks pivot was equally accurate from the tee.
The Chiefs had started the game like they had something to prove, displaying tenacity in the tackle and great competitiveness at the breakdown, letting the away side know they were in for a game up front as well as in the backs.
Ill-discipline from captain Liam Messam cost the Chiefs another penalty and Noakes was more than happy to reclaim the lead for the visitors from right in front of the sticks.
The Highlanders were clearly on top in terms of possession and territory, but that all changed in the 14th minute.
With control of the ball in midfield, scrum-half Jimmy Cowan threw a blind pass to no-one in particular, allowing Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick to pounce and fling the ball wide right quickly. The home side - roared on by the Hamilton crowd - charged down-field with purpose and accurate handling and ball retention with Cruden and Richard Kahui combining well to keep the ball alive. From the flank, possession was spun back in-field to a rampaging Sonny Bill Williams, who kept his composure to forego one of his trademark offloads and instead present quick ball from the floor for his forwards; with hooker Hika Elliot - heavily involved in link-play throughout the move - passing it out to winger Lelia Masaga who straightened, broke the tackle and crashed over from close range. Cruden was on target with the simple conversion and the Chiefs now led 10-6.
The home side were evidently up for the encounter and, spurred on by the score, continued to dominate the opposition with even centres Williams and Kahui showing their strength and ability at the breakdown to win great turnovers.
A Highlanders penalty in the 26th minute cut the hosts' lead to one point, but despite hogging the majority of the ball their play was staggered and disrupted by errors - not helped by the uncertain Jimmy Cowan - with an unsettled line-up trying to force proceedings too often when a cool head would have done.
Two further penalties from the faultless Cruden extended the Chiefs' advantage just before the interval and their impact in the loose and the tight made Waikato's franchise well worth their seven-point half-time lead.
<dl id="attachment_459" class="wp-caption aligncenter" data-mce-style="width: 295px;" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 12px; margin-top: 6px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: auto; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-image: initial; background-color: rgb(241, 241, 241); padding-top: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; clear: both; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; width: 295px; "><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 1.4; font-weight: bold; ">
</dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 4px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Jamie Mackintosh and his men put in a determined showing to dig it out in Hamilton</dd></dl>
</dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 4px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Jamie Mackintosh and his men put in a determined showing to dig it out in Hamilton</dd></dl>As much as the Chiefs were composed and clinical in the first period, they were clueless and exposed in the second.
It began well, with a fourth Cruden penalty of the night stretching the hosts out to 19-9, but the introduction of Aaron Smith at scrum-half in place of the decidedly tepid Cowan brought swifter, effective ball for Highlander backs; and the losses of Bredan Leonard and Masaga in the space of seconds put paid to the Chiefs' organisation and settled game plan.
Just after the hour, the Chiefs imploded.
After enjoying the majority of possession throughout the game (65% in the first half) the Highlanders' persistence finally paid off as the sensational Tamati Ellison ran an excellent line off Adam Thomson and cut through the defence, heading deep into the hosts' 22. With the Chiefs in disarray, replacement half-back Smith provided a fine supporting run to pop up on the centre's shoulder and received the simple pass to stretch over the whitewash to reignite Highlander interest in the fixture. The conversion added two points and the visitors, scenting blood, now trailed by just three points.
There wasn't much time for the away fans to regain their composure or their seats as within minutes the game - much like Ireland's Donnacha Ryan recently - had been flipped on its head.
Smith, again looking lively, sniped around the fringes and finding no luck executed a speculative chip-kick that was easily dealt with by Sonny Bill Williams. The former Toulon monster handed the ball to Cruden to clear but, with less time than he thought, the stand-off smashed the clearance into the outstretched arms of replacement hooker Jason Rutledge - the Otago favourite illustrating commendable spirit to make the block, gather the ball and calmly offload to the on-rushing Phil Burleigh, with the centre enjoying an easy run in. The touchline extras were converted expertly by Noakes and suddenly it was the Highlanders with the lead; 23-19.
In truth, the injuries had taken all the steam out of the home side and despite the efforts of substitute scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow to get things going again, the lack of support at the breakdown meant the Chiefs were consumed time and time again by the buoyant visitors.
With twelve minutes left to play, Messam spurned a chance to cut the lead as he pointed to touch instead of the posts and from the resulting line-out the solid Highlanders defence kept the attackers out and a demoralising Chiefs turnover five metres from the try-line all but sealed their fate.
Further penalties were awarded to Messam's men in the closing moments that would have provided the chance to win the match had the earlier opportunity to get on the board was taken, but instead they were reduced to the tap-and-go which, from so far out, was never going to bear fruit; and the final whistle was observed by a dominant and delighted Highlander XV.
Star Man: TAMATI ELLISON (Highlanders) - A wonderful display from a man who was gearing up to play his last game in the Japanese Top League this time last week. As effervescent in attack as he was productive in defence, the ex-Hurricane was in mightily impressive form tonight and behind most of what his side did well.
5-metre Flop: JIMMY COWAN (Highlanders) - It's no coincidence that the visitors only looked really incisive when the All Black was taken off. Ponderous, unimaginative and at fault for the Chiefs' try, Cowan will probably be forgetting about this performance in a hurry.
