A dominant second-half performance has underpinned the Chiefs 39-12 win over the Blues in the first-ever women's Super rugby match in Auckland today.
Chiefs prop Tanya Kalounivale on the charge Photo: Photosport
After trailing by just six at half-time, the Blues couldn't score in the second spell, conceding too many turnovers and hamstrung by an inability to build pressure.
They'd made a strong start, and two first-half tries helped them keep pace with the Chiefs.
Experienced Black Ferns playmaker Hazel Tubic opened the scoring for the visitors with an early penalty, but the Blues didn't take long to hit back.
First-five Patricia Maliepo pounced on a kick through, and converted her own try to give the Blues a 7-3 lead after 10 minutes.
That lasted barely two minutes before Chiefs winger Langi Veainu sliced through the midfield, showing impressive speed to round the scrambling cover defence and score in the corner.
Blues first five-eighth Patricia Maliepo scores the opening try Photo: Photosport
Tubic nailed the conversion to give the Chiefs a narrow 10-7 lead, extended soon after when flanker Kendra Reynolds crashed over from an attacking line-out drive.
Sylvia Brunt reduced the margin with her 25th minute try after the ball went wide from the maul, the Blues centre showing speed and strength to score.
Tubic added a 28th minute penalty to extend the Chiefs lead, leaving the visitors in front 18-12 at halftime.
The Chiefs' ruthlessly efficient maul clicked into action from an attacking lineout five minutes after the restart, hooker Luka Connor powering over to give her team a 25-12 lead.
That stood for 20 minutes, until Chiefs captain Les Elder dived over in the corner after good handling down the blineside.
Tubic belted over another difficult conversion to secure the game, with Ngatokotoru Arakua's 74th minute try adding the icing on the cake.