Wallace Sititi of the Chiefs. Photo: Jeremy Ward/Photosport
It was not the result that Moana Pasifika was looking forward to - humiliated by the Chiefs 85-7 at the FMG Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday evening.
"Frustrating," was how head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga described the 80-minute Super Rugby Pacific round 15 battle - for them, that was.
Captain Ardie Savea said it was a smack on their nose.
It was a game that the North Harbour side needed to win to cement their spot in the top six. Instead, it became a show of strength, pure brutality and precision by the home side, who shot back to the lead at the top of the competition table, breaking their own records along the way.
There were double hat-trick scorers for the Chiefs in winger Leroy Carter and halfback Cortez Ratima. That saw the side ran in 13 tries to Moana Pasifika's one, the side making history in what was their biggest win, and a game where they scored the most points - and tries - in the franchise's history.
History shows that their previous highest margin of 56 was achieved in their 68-12 demolition of Moana on the very same ground just over 12 months ago. It was the same game where they had notched their previous best of 10 tries, while their highest score prior to this was in their 72-65 win over the Lions in Johannesburg in 2010.
Dominant Chiefs
Umaga said their hosts just proved too good and precise.
"They didn't give us an inch when we tried to take it," Umaga told journalists at the post-match conference. "They just kept coming back, it really made it difficult for us. There's not much else you can say about that."
Umaga said his warriors were dealt a tough blow and spirits were low in the changing room after the massive loss. He said they didn't really fire a shot and it was disappointing for them.
"They just got on the roll and we couldn't just stop them," he said of the Chiefs show on the night, in front of 17.666 odd fans. "We let ourselves down and it really hurts."
Captain Ardie Savea, who scored the team's only try early in the second half, said they had a lot of lessons to learn from the clash - top of the list was how they could turn things around when they were under pressure.
"It's a great lesson on what is actually our mental state when we are under pressure like that, how to find solutions to get us back in the game," he said. "We tried a lot of things and the Chiefs were just too good and they squeezed us out, and they were just ruthless all around the park and smacked us on the nose."
Savea said heads were down because the players cared, and that was something he wanted the players to feel heading into the new week, and with one game left against the Hurricanes that could give them a top-six finish.
"We look back at the game and see what areas we need to be better in," he added, already turning his focus to the Wellington clash against the Hurricanes.
A worry also for Savea was the two yellow cards that went against flyhalf Patrick Pellegrini and lock forward Samuel Slade.
"When you're giving penalties away and two yellow cards against the side like the Chiefs, with the form they displayed tonight, that's a challenge for us," he said. "We need to fix that. It is frustrating but something we can fix."
Preparation the key
Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan acknowledged the win and said preparation out in the last week gave them the result that fans saw on the field.
"Pretty dominant," he said. "We had a real good training week. Our performance reflected our preparation I guess. The set-piece breakdowns, recycle ball, gain line and have them backtracking. We stopped them in their performance when they had a few opportunities."
McMillan said Moana Pasifika did not perform the way they have been playing previous to their meet and believes the team will pick up again.
Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson said it was "alertness" from everybody and the team is moving in one direction.
"Awesome," he said. "Tonight was real alertness from everybody and I fell overall we were moving in on direction, cohesive and on the same track."
The Chiefs claimed two sets of hat-tricks through winger Leroy Carter and halfback Cortez Ratima.
Other try scorers were Shaun Stevenson, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Tupou Vaa'I, Quinn Tupaea, Damien McKenzie, Samisoni Taukei'aho amnd Daniel Rona.
The win gave the Chiefs the lead at the top, while Moana Pasifika remain at sixth spot.
Next weekend the Chiefs travel to meet the Highlanders, while Moana Pasifika will battle the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium, needing a win there to cement their spot in the play-offs, where the top six teams will feature.
At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Chiefs 85 (Shaun Stevenson try 9min, Tupou Vaa'i try 17min, Cortez Ratima tries 21min, 63min, 68min, Quinn Tupaea try 34min, Damian McKenzie try 40min, Leroy Carter tries 45min, 54min, 60min, Samisoni Taukei'aho try 51min, Daniel Rona try 75min, penalty try; McKenzie 9 con) Moana Pasifika 7 (Ardie Savea try 49min; Patrick Pellegrini con). HT: 31-0.
In other results in Round 15, Crusaders 15 bt Highlanders 12, Hurricanes 31 Reds 27, Waratahs 22 Force 17.
