The opening New Zealand game of the new Super Rugby Pacific season has gone in favour of the Chiefs in Queenstown, with the Waikato-side looking ahead to a positive 2022 campaign.
Aaron Smith tackles Josh Ioane Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Chiefs scored three tries to one at the Whakatipu Rugby Club, outclassing the Highlanders 26-16, with a dominant performance from co-captain Sam Cane who scored the opening try.
Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick's ball-handling was on the mark with an off-load to set up fullback Emoni Narawa, just one of Retallick's meaningful contributions.
An even bigger winning margin was a possibilty for the Chiefs had Josh Ioane nailed a couple of sideline conversions. Ioane set the platform for a strong first-half from last year's Super Rugby Aotearoa finalists.
With the Chiefs having the advantage in the possession stakes, the Highlanders, wearing a gold and marroon strip, still had plenty of chances. Errors let the southern side down, however first-five Mitch Hunt had a good night with the boot, nailing three penalties and a conversion.
The Highlanders' lack of discipline led to a string of penalties, which hindered their ability to gain a bit more momentum.
Replacement prop Daniel Lienert-Brown was driven over by the southern forwards for their only try of the game. On the bright side for the southerners were cameos off the bench for Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Folau Fakatava.
Pita Gus Sowakula goes in for a try Photo: PhotoSport / Chris Symes
Across the park there were a number of memorable performances from the Chiefs. Alongside, the undoubtable force of Cane and Retallick, Pita Gus Sowakula dominated with the ball in hand. The lineout was an aspect of Chiefs' game where they will look to make some gains, but the signs were there that the 2022 season for the team from the Waikato may be a good one.
Over the Tasman in the first round of Super Rugby Pacific, the NSW Warratahs dominated with a 40-10 victory over newcomers Fijian Drua. The Fijian side warmed up the crowd in Parramatta with a pre-game war cry.
* Chiefs 26 (Cane, Narawa & Sowakula tries; Ioane 2 penalties & conversion, Gatland penalty) Highlanders 16 (Lienert-Brown try; Hunt 3 penalties & conversion).
-RNZ