(Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images)
Quite simply, they were outstanding. They shifted their game plan, and scrambled with far more intensity than the Hurricanes.
The tactical awareness and patience that has been shown by the Chiefs this season has grown with time, and on this display it will take a very polished performance to take them down.
Especially in front of their faithful supporters.
The Chiefs second half assertion on the Hurricanes was led by their tight five. The only such New Zealand team not to have a test player in their front or second row is outplaying their more decorated opponents week after week.
They kept the Hurricanes scoreless in the second half.
Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina, who re-signed with the NZRU this week, was understandably happy. But there is a stoic determination about the New Zealand sides this year, and there was a feeling that there will not be celebrations in Waikato until he hoists the title.
“Yeah, it was very gutsy, it is not hard to get up and excited when coming home to a crowd like this,” Muliaina explained.
“It was pretty greasy, we needed to get territory, and show patience. We’ll enjoy tonight, but we know we have a tough game next week.”
For Rodney So’oialo, the disappointment was clear. The captain and All Blacks number eight had a poor game by his standards, with his lowlight being twice handed off in tackles.
“The chiefs played very well, and showed why they are the top team,” So’oialo said after the match.
“At the breakdown it was pretty tough, the conditions didn’t help, but we had no excuses, the Chiefs played too well.”
“We missed a lot of opportunities, in crucial games like this, you’ve got to take them, and we didn’t.”
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