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Chiefs go three-from-three

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:58

Celebration time: The Chiefs are happy after three-from-three

The Chiefs continued their dream start to the season when they took their record to a perfect three wins from three starts with an impressive 37-19 demolition of the Western Force in Perth on Saturday.

It is a far cry from the Chiefs' start last year, when they lost their opening three matches before recovering to reach the Final.

They they have collected a record 14 league points on the road and with those games having been played in Durban, Johannesburg and now Perth, they now return home to Hamilton with their campaign very firmly on track and a clear indication that they are in line to be in the frame come semi-final time in May.

They were not at their best in the first half and struggled to breach the initially tight Force defence.

Perhaps they were not sufficiently pro-active to start with, reacting rather than imposing themselves on the game, but as the match continued they took charge of the pressure, and then the momentum swung their way.

In the end it was a fine performance by the Chiefs - secure in winning set pieces, retaining possession through phases, handling and supporting with aplomb. Their defence is tight, they put the opposition under sustained pressure, they make fewer unforced errors than most, and without fuss or swagger they are wonderfully efficient. They have strike players who can set up and score tries too. This is a team which will not easily be beaten.

It's clear to see what the way the Force are trying to play and for periods of the game their ball retention and continuity, and the pressure they exerted on the Chiefs, was effective, but they appear not to have the personnel to execute their plan and to compete consistently for 80 minutes.

It certainly doesn't help when your line-out ball is so insecure - and coach John Mitchell will have to reconsider his options at hooker.

But as captain Nathan Sharpe said immediately after the game, it won't help to keep regurgitating their injury woes. They have to live with the bad luck thrust on them and somehow find a way to win games with the players they do still have available.

The start of the game at ME Bank Stadium in Perth was delayed by a few minutes because of a power failure.

James O'Connor, at flyhalf this week as the Force battle to find a starting number 10, set the game alight in the third minute when, after his long relief kick transferred play into the Chiefs' half, he put pressure on the Chiefs' tryline with a scintillating break deep into the 22.

The Chiefs were penalised but Pek Cowan's line-out throw-in was skew and the attack fizzled out.

It was the Chiefs who scored first when in the eighth minute flyhalf Stephen Donald took his streak of successful goal-kicks to 13 on the trot by goaling a penalty from the touchline.

The Force put together 12 phases, with efficient recycling by the forwards and flank Ben McCalman, scrumhalf Brett Sheehan and O'Connor prominent in the continuity. They hammered at the Chiefs' goal-line, the Chiefs were penalised close to their posts, and O'Connor slotted the goal to level the score at 6-6 just over 13 minutes into the game.

In the 21st minute Pek Cowan again threw inaccurately into a line-out, the Chiefs stole the ball and Brendon Leonard chipped, chased, and caught the ball. He fed hooker Hika Elliot on his inside who transferred to Nathan White and White passed back to Elliot who ran in the first Chiefs' try. Donald converted and the Chiefs led 10-3.

The Chiefs had a chance to increase their lead when flank Matt Hodgson, one of the Force's stand-out players, was blown for sealing off at breakdown near his line, but there was a rare missed goalkick by Donald.

Donald made amends in the 37th minute when Force tighthead Tim Fairbrother failed to bind at a scrum and the sharpshooter goaled from 45 metres out to extend the lead to 13-3.

Two minutes later Chiefs' tighthead Nathan White was penalised for rolling his arm and shoulder inward at a scrum and Sheehan goaled from halfway to keep the home team in touch at 13-6 at the break.

The early pressure in the half had come from the Force, with sound ball retention and impressive continuity, but except for the O'Connor penalty-goal, they had failed to turn pressure into points.

In the second quarter the Chiefs succeeded in gaining better field position and exerted more sustained pressure and were better rewarded for their efforts than the Force had been.

Cowan, a Wallaby prop trying to convert to hooker, had cost the Force dearly with wayward line-out throw-ins - messing up a great chance for the Force to score an early try from an attacking five metre line-out, then a wild throw giving Leonard the opportunity to set up the try scored by Elliot, and then giving away field position again with another errant throw as the Force tried to get back into the game.

From the Force second half kick-off Elliot was pinged for side entry at a ruck and O'Connor goaled the straight-forward penalty to reduce the deficit to 13-9.

The Force piled on pressure in the opening few minutes of the half and when the Chiefs played the ball on the ground in front of their posts, O'Connor goaled to make the score 13-12 to the visitors after 49 minutes.

But a minute later a dangerous tackle gave Donald another kick at goal and another sure strike restored the visitors' four-point lead (16-12).

Then came the try which changed the momentum of the game.

Another Force line-out was turned over and the Chiefs spread wide from inside their half. Left wing Dwayne Sweeney fed inside centre Callum Bruce who cut through midfield and made good ground before throwing a long, accurate  pass to Lelia Masaga on the right wing. There was no stopping the flying Masaga who scored in the corner.

Donald converted from the touchline and the Chiefs led 23-12 just on 60 minutes.

The Force lost another line-out on their own throw and a period of pressure led to a five metre scrum for the Chiefs, from where No.8 Colin Bourke crashed over and the TMO advised that a try had been scored. Donald added the conversion and at 28-12 with 14 minutes to play, it threatened to turn into a rout.

With six minutes to play, a consolation try came for the Force from an uncharacteristic error by Bruce when the centre's pass was intercepted by Force outside centre Ryan Cross who scored with no defender near. O'Connor converted and the Chiefs led 30-12.

But the Chiefs were not done yet and they secured a bonus point for four tries when they bashed at the Force goal-line and Tim Nanai-Williams, on as a sub, scored. Donald converted and the visitors led 37-12 going into the last minute.

That was the end of the scoring - another happy day for the Chiefs and an unhappy game for the Force, who have a mountain to climb if they are to make a meaningful impact on the competition.

Man of the Match: For the Force, Sheehan was as feisty, Hodgson as industrious and O'Connor as skilful as ever. For the Chiefs, Messam and Bourke were excellent at loose-forward, Leonard a handful for the opposition at scrumhalf, and Masaga a potent attacker in his few chances. But for his astute decision-making, composure on attack and defence, and his deadly accurate goal-kicking, Donald's contribution to the Chiefs' win was again in this game, as so often before, invaluable. Our Man of the Match is the admirably consistent Stephen Donald.

The scorers:

For the Western Force:
Try: Cross
Con: O'Connor
Pens: O'Connor 3, Sheehan

For the Chiefs:
Tries: Elliot, Masaga, Bourke, Nanai-Williams
Cons: Donald 4
Pens: Donald 3

Teams:

Western Force: 15 Mark Bartholomeusz, 14 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Mitch Inman, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 James O'Connor, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Sam Wykes, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Tom Hockings, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Pek Cowan, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Tyrrell, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Richard Stanford,  19 Luke Jones,  20 Chris O'Young,  21 Sam Harris,  22 Dane Haylett-Petty.

Chiefs: 15 Mike Delany, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Callum Bruce, 11 Dwayne Sweeney, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Colin Bourke, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam (captain), 5 Culum Retallick, 4 Romana Graham, 3 Nathan White, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Luke Braid, 20 Junior Poluleuligaga, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Tim Nanai-Williams.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith (Australia), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: Julian Pritchard (Australia)

By Len Kaplan

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