Chiefs punish Fijian Drua mistakes to bag bonus point win in Christchurch

Sunday, 26 April 2026

At One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch: Chiefs 42 (Brodie McAlister try 12min, Quinn Tupaea try 15min, Jared Proffit try 35min, Cortez Ratima try 37min, Daniel Sinkinson try 45min, Tepaea Cook-Savage try 69min; Damian McKenzie 6 con) Fijian Drua 22 (Mesake Doge try 3min, Kavaia Tagivetaua try 56min, Simone Kuruvoli try 66min; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2 con, pen). HT: 28-10

It goes without saying that the Chiefs don’t need any help from generous opponents.

So, what the heck was Fijian Drua fullback Ilaisa Droasese thinking when he produced arguably one of the most bone-headed plays in Super Rugby history in his team’s 42-22 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday?

Long-time commentator and former All Black Justin Marshall called it “mind boggling”, something he’d not seen before on a rugby field.

He was talking about Droasese, having gathered a loose ball in-goal, opting to run it out, before grubber kicking to himself and attempting to counter at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.

Only Chiefs prop Jared Proffit was on deck to ground the ball with his forearm, leaving the Drua, who had been so competitive up until that point, demoralised under their sticks.

“This was bizarre…we’ll probably never see this again. I don’t know what to say,” fellow commentator Jeff Wilson said, before Australian Morgan Turinui speculated Droasese might have thought the Chiefs knocked on moments earlier.

Regardless, up until Droasese’s gift, the Drua, on the prowl for their first three-match winning streak in Super Rugby, were right in the contest against the competition heavyweights.

Down just 14-10 with four minutes left in the opening half, they were frustrating the pre-season favourites through their tenacious defence and power-running.

But instead of going into the sheds within striking distance, the Chiefs scored again through halfback Cortez Ratima a couple of minutes after Proffit scored to blow out to a 28-10 lead.

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine Droasese looked head coach Glen Jackson in the eye when they retired to the sheds for a spell.

And his nightmare wasn’t over.

Droasese made a hash of a kick early in the second half on his goal line, gifting the Chiefs a 5m scrum.

They promptly punished the blunder through a slick short-side strike, finished by wing Daniel Sinkinson.

Suddenly it was 35-10, game essentially over courtesy of the Chiefs going bang, bang, bang.

To think the Drua had looked an entirely different beast for all but a few minutes of the first half, highlighted by them striking first.

That was courtesy of prop Mesake Doge, who barrelled over to finish a superb 17-phase raid, which featured a series of breathtaking offloads and smash-mouth carries on the line.

Chiefs hooker Brodie McAlister, before he was replaced with a calf injury, got his side back on level terms, before a set piece move straight from the training paddock was finished by form midfielder Quinn Tupaea going over a few minutes later.

In addition to the Chiefs losing McAlister, All Black wing Leroy Carter sustained a leg injury in the second half ahead of their second bye week.

Fullback Isaac Hutchinson, who hails from Canterbury and is a former Crusaders wider training group member, looked the part on debut after sustaining a serious knee injury playing club rugby in Christchurch last year.

Hutchinson went close to bagging a try, and it was the 22-year-old who pulled off a desperation try-saving tackle on Frank Lomani, who looked sure to score after picking off a pass and darting to the corner flag.

To the Drua’s credit, they picked up their chins after the disastrous few minutes either side of halftime, scoring two quality tries to pull to within 35-22 and threaten the Chiefs’ bonus point.

The first was especially memorable, after replacement hooker Kavaia Tagivetaua broke a Wallace Sititi tackle attempt and bolted 30 metres to the line.

But the Chiefs did enough to collect all five points, setting up a grand stand race with the Hurricanes and Blues for the top seed over the final five rounds.