Chiefs prevail in Hamilton slugfest
Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:45
Threat: The dangerous Mils Muliaina on the run
The Chiefs moved closer to semifinal contention with a thoroughly entertaining 32-20 Super 14 victory over the Reds, despite a stunning fightback from the Queenslanders in the second half.
Both teams played open, attacking rugby but it was the home side who made better use of their opportunities to clinch the win and slot into third place on the standings for the moment.
Feel for the Reds! They were a great part of this all-action match, the sort of match law-makers must have had in mind when they introduced the experimental law variations - a thrilling match to watch, an exhausting match to play. Teams have got bonus points for less than what the Reds achieved on the field of play in Hamilton on a wet Saturday night. Instead they went home to Brisbane with nothing to show for their efforts, apart from the memory of a match enthusiastically played.
The Chiefs ended with a bonus point, thanks to an excellent start before the weather came in and a jammy ending off a late intercept by massive Sione Lauaki.
It was a wonderful match of enterprise and skill.
The first half ended with the Chiefs leading 24-3 though the Reds had had chances. That half the Reds had played with the weather, a seductively easy way of staying in opponents' territory but not a profitable one,. In the second half the Reds played with the ball in hand, playing back inside as they probed for holes in the defence, which they found. They then scored three unanswered tries to take the score to 24-20 till the Chiefs pulled clear and even then they were over the line for a possible try which neither the referee nor the television match official could see.
Hail the Chiefs! Hail the Reds!
The Chiefs started running and Mils Muliaina was close as they went through phase after phase till they were penalised for obstruction. They attacked again when Dwayne Sweeney swept through a gap. Then came a breath-snatching try. The Chiefs went right on a penalty advantage, and Stephen Donald chipped. With a juggle he managed to beat Clinton Schifcofske for the ball, gather and stride over under the posts. He converted. 7-0 after 5 minutes.
The Reds had their first chance to score soon afterwards when from a line-out Peter Hynes cut through going right. The ball went wide right from there and with two on one, six metres from the line, Morgan Turinui did not straighten enough to draw and the Chiefs kept Brando Va'aulu out. A golden chance was lost. Costly.
Tom Willis tapped a free kick when Berrick Barnes held on and the Chiefs went tight. Sitiveni Sivivatu threw a long pass to Richard Kahui who ran dead straight ahead, drew a man and sent Lelia Masaga racing away on an overlap to score a try. Donald converted,. 14-0 after 9 minutes.
Barnes kicked a soaring left-footed dropped goal on a penalty advantage. 14-3 after 13 minutes.
The Reds were doing well. David Croft had a strong run when the Chiefs overthrew a line-out. They also attacked with many quick, close passes from a tapped free kick. They had a five-metre line-out - the first of three in the match - and bashed and then went wide where Barnes slid a grubber into the in-goal but the Chiefs saved. Turinui broke and sent Hynes away but Masaga hauled him in with an efficient tackle.
After all that the Chiefs got back into Reds' territory and scored - a penalty when Croft went infield from a line-out too quickly. 17-3 after 28 minutes.
Back came the Reds with Stephen Moore prominent. Again they had a five-metre, post-[penalty line-out. They mauled to the line, but it fizzled out when they conceded a free kick. They had another penalty but Barnes, greedy for ground, kicked dead.
Masaga ran down the right wing and kicked ahead. Some way ahead of his kick Schifcofske moved off line and stuck a shoulder into the flying wing. Schifcofske was sent to the sin bin and the Chiefs had a penalty. They kicked it out for a five-metre line-out and set up a bash, moving slightly infield. Back they went right and Donald slipped a grubber through. Masaga was there first. He grounded the ball, rose and hurdled a threatening hoarding. The Television match official found that Masaga had grounded the ball a millimetre or two inside touch-in-goal. From touch Donald converted. 24-3 after 37 minutes.
The Chiefs had started the first half running. The Reds started the second half running. Replacement Digby Ioane was prominent, as he was the whole half, and then on advantage when Muliaina was off-side Turinui thrust himself to the line in Muliaina's tackle and managed to get the ball down with his left hand. 24-8 after 43 minutes.
At this stage Schifcofske returned.
Sweeney had his second great break of the night. He raced through but was tackled near the line and then did an exaggerated roll for which he was penalised right at the line.
From a scrum the Reds produced a move which saw Va'aulu cut through and put Barnes in the clear. The inside centre did not have the speed and Jamie Nutbrown ran him down. But the Reds then went far left where Ioane was strong enough to burst past three tackles to score in the corner. 24-13 after 49 minutes.
The Chiefs then attacked with Ben May having a run but their hands let them down and the Reds snatched up the ball to start running inside their own 22. Down the left they went with Van Humphreys, then Ioane and then Barnes making metres to set up a massive attack till Turinui checked, the defence opened wide and the bulky centre meandered through to score at the posts. Schifcofske converted. 24-209 after 53 minutes.
The Reds had had a purple patch of 10 minutes.
Quade Cooper hailed Nutbrown in at a tackle/ruck and Donald kicked an angled penalty goal. 27-20 after 57 minutes.
May then had an extravagant. He burst down the middle, dummied to kick and held on, did a goose step and was tackled at the line. Sosene Anesi was over but the ball that got to him was forward.
The Reds were attacking. Cooper darted to the Chiefs' 10-metre line and passed to Turinui who was clear on his right but the big hand of Lauaki intervened. The massive man intercepted and set off down the field. Schifcofske raced back in cover and brought Lauaki crashing down with a tackle around the ankles. Lauaki - full of presence of mind - released the ball, rose up to his feet and picked up the ball. Some miraculous how James Horwill got back and wrestled \Lauaki to the ground but the big man was close enough to place the ball over the goal-line for the try. 32-20 after 69 minutes.
It was after this that the Reds shunted a maul over the line but the TMO found inconclusive evidence that a try had been scored.
Man of the match: There were so many - Morgan Turinui, David Croft, James Horwill and Stephen Moore of the Reds; Richard Kahui, Lelia Masaga, Sione Lauaki and Tom Willis of the Chiefs. Our choice is flyhalf Stephen Donald who did all things enthusiastically well.
Moment of the Match: One is tempted, just for the delicious, audacious idiosyncrasy of it to nominate Ben May's second run but really it was the try which Morgan Turinui scored and the whole movement that led to it.
Villain of the match: Nobody, not even Clinton Schifcofske.
Scorers:
For the Chiefs:
Tries: Donald, Masaga 2, Lauaki
Cons: Donald 3
Pens: Donald 2
For the Reds:
Tries: Turinui 2, Ioane
Con: Schifcofske
DG: Barnes
Yellow card: Clinton Schifcofske (Reds, 36 - Professional foul, obstruction)
Teams:
Chiefs: 15 Mils Muliaina (captain), 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Dwayne Sweeney, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 8 Sione Lauaki, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Kevin O'Neill, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Tom Willis, 1 Ben May .
Replacements: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Simon Lemalu, 18 Jay Williams, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 David Bason, 21 Callum Bruce, 22 Sosene Anesi.
Reds: 15 Clinton Schifcofske, 14 Brando Va'aulu, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Peter Hynes, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 David Croft, 6 John Roe, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Van Humphries, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Coutts.
Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 Dayna Edwards, 18 Ed O'Donoghue, 19 Poutasi Luafutu, 20 Will Genia, 21 Charlie Fetoai, 22 Digby Ioane.
Referee: Craig
Joubert (South Africa)
Touch judges: Deon vs Blommestein (South Africa), Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Assessor: Alan Riley (New Zealand)
