Leroy Carter scores hat-trick as Chiefs thump Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific

Friday, 6 March 2026

At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Chiefs 57 (Quinn Tupaea try 3min, Liam Coombes-Fabling try 5min, Leroy Carter tries 17min, 48min, 54min, Emoni Narawa try 31min, Lalakai Foketi try 33min, Kyle Brown try 61min, Tyrone Thompson try 67min; Damian McKenzie 6 con) Moana Pasifika 24 (Glen Vaihu try 10min, Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa tries 22min, 43min, Tevita Ofa try 80min; Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 con). HT: 31-14.

Maybe good sleep is over-rated. At least for Damain McKenzie, anyway.

Because, in his first game back from paternity leave for the birth of his first child, the star Chiefs playmaker took absolutely no time to hit top gear, playing a magnificent hand in the Chiefs’ 57-24 Super Rugby Pacific bounce-back win over Moana Pasifika in Hamilton on Friday night.

The veteran No 10 looked nothing like the new father who had been enduring long nights and nappy changes, and who reckoned, on the back of just over a week’s training, that his lungs might see him not go the distance.

No, the 30-year-old was instead at his livewire best, immediately pleasing Fantasy managers who injected the game’s most valuable player straight back into their sides, as the Chiefs ran away with a nine-tries-to-four bonus-point victory.

On the back of last Saturday’s first loss of the season for Jono Gibbes’ side, in their blockbuster against the Crusaders, just 9020 punters poured into FMG Stadium Waikato, on a lovely evening, but they got full value for money as the home side put on an attacking clinic, in a game where they went in at just $1.01 to Moana’s $15 at the TAB.

In a side missing captain Luke Jacobson, fellow All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi and in-form halfback Xavier Roe, the Chiefs had little to worry about as McKenzie linked with fellow paternity leave returnee Cortez Ratima, and another All Black, prop Ollie Norris, also made his comeback from knee surgery, as more misery was piled on Moana.

Fa’alogo Tana Umaga’s side’s round-one win in Fiji now looks a distant memory, having since been blown away by the Hurricanes, Force and now the Chiefs, after All Blacks winger Leroy Carter bagged a hat-trick of tries, with Quinn Tupaea, Liam Coombes-Fabling, Emoni Narawa, Lalakai Foketi, Kyle Brown and Tyrone Thompson joining him on the scoreboard.

No 8 Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa bagged a double for Moana, including one early in the second stanza to reduce the 31-14 halftime margin, but it proved a false dawn, as the Chiefs quickly got back to business.

Having last weekend conceded their highest tally of points (43) in 104 games, and the most in 16 years at home, Gibbes wouldn’t have been overly impressed by some of the 28 tackles they managed to miss (to Moana’s 31), or the 16-7 penaty count against his outfit.

But there can be no denying his delight on the attacking side of the equation, as McKenzie’s masterful manning of the ship saw plenty of chances created, and, importantly, finished off, as the Chiefs were far more clinical in their execution, remarkably having just 10 22m entries to Moana’s 11.

Just like last week when they were up 14-0 inside nine minutes, this time it was 14-0 inside half a dozen, as their scintillating left-side attacks worked a treat. But after last week’s massive drop off, the key was keeping the foot down.

Moana did hit back quickly, but the Chiefs didn’t flinch, making a mess of the visitors’ lineout (losing seven of their 20 throws) even despite losing three forwards inside half an hour, as twin head knocks to Samipeni Finau and Kaylum Boshier wrecked their reserves rotation, before prop Benét Kumeroa was also forced to limp off.

No problem, said McKenzie, whose biggest play of the night was arguably his trysaving tackle on lock Allan Craig, who had charged-down a Ratima kick and was surging for the line only for the little pivot to muscle him across the touchline. Maybe it was all that upper body work cradling baby Louie.

It was as if that then inspired him on offence, then to the fore on the Chiefs’ fourth try when tracking back to recover a kick from near Moana’s line, before putting on his trademark speed, and magical slip out of tackles, to set up excellent No 7 Jahrome Brown for another last-pass try play.

For the second time on the night the Chiefs went back-to-back from that, as an ill-advised grubber from Tevita Latu had Samisoni Taukei’aho smartly batting back for Ratima, and McKenzie surely called the kick play, haring onto it then batting it back for Ratima to scoop up and put Foketi awat for a fine finish.

It all continued in the second half, McKenzie’s lovely floating ball having Coombes-Fabling surge on and offload for Carter’s double, his flying support play then seeing Josh Jacomb’s chip kick rewarded with a try for Kyle Brown on his first touch, before he had the crowd on their feet with a length-of-the-field intercept play and left-foot grubber that had Coombes-Fabling over, only for referee Todd Petrie to have whistled a penalty at the other end.

The lungs certainly got the test they were after, and now there’s a bye to rest up. But perhaps not sleep.