A four-try haul to Jonah Lowe has allowed the Chiefs to hold off a valiant Waratahs outfit 51-27 at AAMI Park
Prop Angus Bell was sent off inside three minutes for a lifting tackle on Sam Cane, allowing the Chiefs to build a commanding lead and ultimately seal the bonus-point win despite heroics from Jake Gordon.
At the start of the season against the Fijian Drua, Darren Coleman got an ideal start to life at the Waratahs. For his opener against the Kiwis, he probably couldn’t imagine a worse start than what he got in the first 20 minutes at AAMI Park.
As the Chiefs went on the attack early in the game, Bell’s tackle on Cane went awry, with the All Black skipper dropped on his head and Nic Berry given little choice but to issue the red.
With Bell heading for the sidelines, he was joined by Dave Porecki as the hooker suffered a head knock in the same attack, failing to return. This was compounded by the loss of Jamie Roberts for ten after a deliberate knock-down, allowing the hosts to build a quick 22-3 lead as Coleman refused to give any excuses for the performance.
"I prefer not to make excuses around those (incidents)," Coleman said after the match.
"The difference between us and the Kiwis at the moment is the last 15-20 minutes. That's the biggest thing we need to improve on and that's where the cream rises and we're not quite there yet."
Whilst the scoreline ended in a blowout, the Waratahs showed some great fight to get back into the contest as Jed Holloway put Jake Gordon through a hole.
Alex Newsome’s try before the break built some momentum for the Waratahs as Gordon willed his side back into the game to ignite the AAMI Park with his second, reducing the margin to three.
A 50-22 minutes later to the inspirational Gordon five minutes later had Waratahs fans dreaming of the ultimate comeback but that was shut down when Roberts’ pass was read perfectly by Jonah Lowe for his second of the night.
This opened the floodgates as Lowe completed the hat-trick and then his fourth to secure the commanding victory that arguably doesn’t reflect the efforts of the visitors.
The win lifts the Chiefs into the top four for the moment whilst Waratahs will be licking their wounds with a quartet of stars in doubt for next week's clash with the Crusaders.
The biggest concern is fullback Will Harrison, who was forced off the field before the first half, with Coleman confirming a suspected ACL injury and potentially further damage to his knee.
Porecki and replacement hooker Tom Horton, who also suffered a HIA, are expected to be fit for the Crusaders, however, Bell will have a nervous wait as he learns his fate from the Judiciary
CHIEFS 51
TRIES: Taukei’aho, Lowe 4, Tupaea 2
CONS: Gatland 5/7
PENS: Gatland 1/1
YELLOW CARD: Tupaea 74'
WARATAHS 27
TRIES: Gordon 2, Gamble
CONS: Harrison 1/1, Edmed 2/2
PENS: Harrison 1/1, Edmed 1/1
RED CARD: Bell 3'
YELLOW CARD: Roberts 12'
Chiefs: 15 Chase Tiatia, 14 Jonah Lowe, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Rameka Poihipi, 11 Quinn Tupaea, 10 Bryn Gatland, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Atu Moli, 18 George Dyer, 19 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Rivez Reihana, 23 Inga Finau
Waratahs: 15 Will Harrison, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Alex Newsome, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon (c), 8 Will Harris, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Charlie Gamble, 5 Hugh Sinclair, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Dave Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements: 16 Tom Horton, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Archer Holz, 19 Geoff Cridge, 20 Rahboni Warren-Yosayaco, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Dylan Pietsch
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant referees: Jordan Way & Graham Cooper
