The Waikato Chiefs triumphed over the Wellington Hurricanes 30-19 in the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final, setting up an all-New Zealand final against the Auckland Blues. Wallace Sititi and Damian McKenzie led the charge for the Chiefs, who will compete for their third title next Saturday at Eden Park.
Bollywood Fever: The Waikato Chiefs struck early against the Wellington Hurricanes and held on to win a thrilling Super Rugby Pacific semi-final 30-19 on Saturday, setting up an all-New Zealand title showdown against the Auckland Blues.
Number eight Wallace Sititi delivered an outstanding performance, while flyhalf Damian McKenzie contributed 15 points with flawless kicking as the Chiefs secured their first Super Rugby playoff victory on the road in five attempts.
The Chiefs will need to replicate their success to clinch a third Super Rugby title next Saturday at Eden Park against the Blues, who defeated the ACT Brumbies 34-20 in the first semi-final on Friday.
“I think we had a really good plan over the week and we just came out here and we trusted it,” said Chiefs skipper Luke Jacobson. “(Wallace) took it to another level, he’s a special kid and he’s got a huge future.”
The Hurricanes, who topped the regular season standings and were aiming for a second Super Rugby title, struggled at the breakdown and never fully found their rhythm in attack.
The Chiefs burst out of the gates with two tries in the first six minutes. Flanker Samipeni Finau scored the first try in the third minute after a powerful run down the right flank and an offload from winger Emoni Narawa. A blocked kick set up the second try, with 21-year-old Sititi storming through the midfield before finding Jacobson, who passed the ball to scrumhalf Cortez Ratima for the touchdown.
McKenzie converted both tries and added a penalty in the 15th minute, extending the lead to 17-0 and silencing the crowd, forcing the Hurricanes to rethink their conservative game plan.
Flanker Peter Lakai put the home side on the board with a try five minutes later, but the Hurricanes continued to struggle with their passing and backline execution. Ratima appeared to score a second try after 25 minutes, but it was called back due to a foul on Hurricanes scrumhalf TJ Perenara, resulting in Finau’s 10-minute sin bin.
McKenzie added another penalty six minutes into the second half to push the lead to 20-7. The Chiefs were soon reduced to 14 men again when Jacobson was yellow-carded for a late hit on Jordie Barrett.
The Hurricanes capitalized on the extra man, with Brett Cameron scoring a try and converting it to cut the deficit to 20-14 after 55 minutes. Just as the momentum seemed to shift in favor of the home side, Sititi intercepted a pass and made a long run up the field. Though he was stopped short of the line, the Chiefs recycled the ball, allowing winger Daniel Rona to score a converted try.
McKenzie kicked a third penalty in the 66th minute, extending the lead to 16 points. Although the Hurricanes responded with a 71st-minute try from Billy Proctor, it was too little, too late.
“We’re just really gutted because we were extremely proud of what we’ve achieved this season,” Hurricanes captain Brad Shields said. “We just couldn’t get there tonight, which is tough to take.”
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