Chiefs back to top of Super Rugby Pacific table after wet-weather win over Reds in Hamilton

Friday, 4 April 2025

The Chiefs had to dig deep to edge the Queensland Reds in the wet in Hamilton.

At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Chiefs 27 (Luke Jacobson try 3min, Samisoni Taukei’aho try 71min, Xavier Roe try 79min; Damian McKenzie 3 con, 2 pen) Reds 15 (Matt Faessler try 19min, Joe Brial try 40min, Tom Lynagh try 80+1min). HT: 10-10.

Yellow card: Jeff Toomaga-Allen (Reds) 42min

The Chiefs are ladder leaders again in Super Rugby Pacific after taking out a hard-fought top-of-the-table clash against the Reds on a rain-soaked Friday night in Hamilton.

It was far from pretty, but Clayton McMillan’s side started and finished strongly for a 27-15 victory that was far less comfortable than the scoreboard suggested (three-tries-apiece), to bank a valuable four more competition points on return from their first bye, and celebrate Shaun Stevenson’s 100th match for the franchise in fitting fashion.

On a day when the rain had never relented, the brave 9,882 at FMG Stadium Waikato were left nervous till late on, against a team their side had lost to in three of their last four regular-season clashes (beating them in both the last two quarterfinals), before the Chiefs’ super-subs again did the business to get them home.

With All Blacks forwards Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, and Samipeni Finau, along with handy halfback Xavier Roe, all injected in the 48th minute, they proved instrumental, Taukei’aho and Roe both scoring tries in the final 10 minutes, while Damian McKenzie came to the fore with his astute kicking game, as the hosts were able to keep the Queenslanders scoreless until a consolation score after the siren.

Daniel Rona dives on the ball during the Chiefs’ win over the Reds in Hamilton on Friday night.

The Reds, coming off a six-day turnaround, plus travel, had played in the wet in Brisbane last weekend, while the Chiefs had already two wet encounters behind them, for a win at Eden Park and a loss in Fiji, so were well-versed with what they had to do here.

It took time, though, after the Reds had pressured their lineout plenty in the first half, and enjoyed 58% possession, as Les Kiss’ outfit showed just why they came into this clash with a 5-1 record and leading the ladder.

Locked at 10-10 after a tense, but messy first half, a McKenzie penalty was the only points of the third quarter, but it was a period that was certainly not without action.

After being reduced to 14 less than two minutes into the second stanza thanks to Jeff Toomaga-Allen being binned for head contact on Jacobson at a ruck, the Reds looked to have hit the lead for the first time thanks to a superb run from Harry McLaughlin-Phillips.

However, the pacy No 10 was found to have undone all his great work when the ball squirted from his grasp in his dive for the line, in what was a real touch-and-go call for TMO Brett Cronan, as he in the end opted to over-turn Nic Berry’s on-field decision, much to the delight of the drenched home fans.

Damian McKenzie proved instrumental as the Chiefs won the top-of-the-table clash against the Reds.

The drama didn’t stop there, as the Reds ended up winning a penalty at the resulting scrum, only for the Chiefs to then come up huge in turning over their maul.

And, on the back of their big bench boost, which also included a first-touch 50-22 banana kick from Josh Jacomb, they were able to dominate down the stretch.

The huge moment came at the 70th minute, when Quinn Tupaea got over the ball for a ruck penalty win, and, with things on a knife-edge at 13-10, the hosts passed up a shot in favour of kicking for the line.

It proved a masterstroke from captain Luke Jacobson, as the Chiefs powered their maul up for Taukei’aho to surge over. Then, after Reds fullback Heremaia Murray spilled a high kick, that invited the hosts down to close it out, with a strong Gideon Wrampling run paving the way for Roe to snipe over.

Earlier, the Chiefs had started in ominious fashion, scoring in the third minute as they cashed in from the first penalty of the game when kicking to the corner and then, after patient one-out carries, having Jacobson barge over under the sticks.

The skipper also proved influential in what proved to be the hosts’ only other points of the half, coming up with a crucial turnover near his own line, which led to a big Stevenson boot, and a flying McKenzie, winning a ruck turnover penalty, then, not long later, knocking over three from the tee after the Reds were caught offside.

While the visitors struggled to get any attacks going thanks to some untimely dropped ball, they had been able to hit back to tie the scores in the 19th minute, with Matt Faessler going over from a lineout drive.

Then, to round out a messy first spell, they came up huge right on the stroke of halftime, when a Lukhan Salakaia-Loto lineout steal, had Filipo Daugunu kicking high, with McKenzie unable to collect, the ball bouncing past Emoni Narawa, and flanker Joe Brial showing a whole heap of pace in toeing through and dashing 40 metres to dive in, for a try which the crowd vented their frustration at after the replays, but which the officials rightly awarded thanks to his torso grounding.