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Another low for Western Force as McKenzie-inspired Chiefs run amok
The Western Force’s disappointing Super Rugby Pacific campaign has hit another low point, thrashed 56-7 by a merciless Chiefs outfit. It proved easy work for the Chiefs, with the hosts taking the lead inside two minutes and rarely taking their foot off the gas in the nine-tries-to-one beating in Hamilton on Saturday.
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The performance left Force captain Jeremy Williams at a loss for words, lamenting his side’s shocking early ill-discipline. They conceded seven unanswered penalties in the opening 25 minutes as the Chiefs took control.
“Really tough, I don’t really have (many) words for that,” Williams told Sky Sport. “We were our own worst enemy with our discipline and piggy-backing them into our 22m. They just capitalised on it.
“I definitely thought at the back of that first half we gained a bit of momentum. But then we came out in the second half and struggled to slow their ruck speed, they just played on top of us.”
Chiefs winger Daniel Rona was the biggest beneficiary of the Force’s soft defence with an impressive hat-trick.
The bottom-ranked Force’s poor away record against the New Zealand-based sides never looked like being overturned as their season record dropped to 2-8. They have lost all three of their encounters across the ditch – by an average margin of 32 points.
A Damian McKenzie penalty and a try in each corner for wingers Emoni Narawa and Rona had the visitors on the ropes in just 14 minutes. When All Blacks playmaker McKenzie crossed untouched off a scrum play soon after, alarm bells were truly ringing.
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The visitors only found their feet in the contest when their pack forced a penalty try on the half-hour that saw Chiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the maul as it rolled towards the line.
But any hope of a comeback was quashed when Bradley Slater punched in an early second-half try for the Chiefs from a lineout maul.
The Chiefs ran rampant late, scoring three tries in the last 11 minutes as the wheels really fell off for the visitors. McKenzie was in sparkling form, with his fancy footwork helping him run rings against the Force and create the bulk of his side’s attacking opportunities.
The Chiefs’ win backed up their 38-22 triumph against the NSW Waratahs last weekend. “It’s awesome to be back at home in front of our fans and to put it in a performance like that tonight that I’m very proud of,” Chiefs captain Kaylum Boshier told Sky Sport.
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“(But) there are always things we can work on. This season we have sort of been up and down and to put two games back-to-back like we have, we are very proud of that.”
The Force return to Perth after their two-game trip to NZ, set for a two-game homestand against the Fijian Drua and the NSW Waratahs.
HAT-TRICK for Daniel Rona ??#SuperRugbyPacific #CHIvFOR pic.twitter.com/CxLEWbCFZd
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) May 4, 2024
Comments on RugbyPass
I’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
1 Go to commentsSurely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
2 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Could the victim do a course to reverse the long term CTE damage from the cheapshot?
2 Go to commentsTruely great player. In social media and opinion pieces he was held up and flogged for the results. People wanted someone to crucify, and he was the captain. He was still an immense presence respected by his peers. His battles with Siya Kolisi belong up with with Collins vs Burger in my opinion. Unlucky to be carded in the final, but I don’t agree that his red card was the defining moment. Not when you look at the dominant performances of the Springboks (PSDT in particular.) I think Cane should be remembered for the spirit and physicality that is special to test rugby.
12 Go to commentsSam was the man until he got injured .
12 Go to comments_Crusaders versus Leinster _at the moment might be a rout! But I would like to see the Blues play Toulouse, the Hurricanes front up against Stade Francais, and the Chiefs go against Toulon.
157 Go to commentsLove it when we overlap! Promise it was not forethought.
18 Go to commentsjfc can this guy plz stay out of the news for one week
2 Go to commentsIf stormers aren’t available. Based on form and likely availability at the time of the wales Test, you’d think Masuku would be a no-brainer to start. But starting Jordan also makes sense having Masuku come off the bench to close out the game.
2 Go to commentsGlad Tom Curry not playing needs time to recover such a great player also his brother Ben how well is he playing now .
1 Go to commentsLet’s examine what might be irking the brainless E: Up until 20 years before this coming Julys tests: 16 games: 14 wins for SA; 1 win for Ire; 1 draw From 20 years until July’ tests Ireland V SA: 13 matches Ireland won 8; SA won 4; 1 draw Points scored Ireland 261; SA 189 Ave Winning Margin: Ireland 11 points; SA 4 points (away 3, home 6) Away win record: Ireland 33.33%; SA 25% Neutral matches 1: Ireland win RWC France 2023. Last SA win June 2016 (8 years ago) They boast 3 World cups in that period (they do boast). The above record is not good, probably not much better than theirs against NZ for same period. That’s why the dopey E is starting fights in his head. He will probably ship a yellow when things don’t go their way in the first test.
127 Go to commentsGoode is like a wet fart on The Rugby Pod and should be shoved aside. Jim knows what he is on about and can get on better without Goode’s nasty little cheap shots.
127 Go to commentsBrumbies will win, crusaders are pretty awful this year
1 Go to commentsThis has the makings of a good match. That’s Leinster’s second team but its a good one (stronger than the teams in SA recently). Ulster are really turning a page. Ryan back is huge, and Keenan too. This could be a cracker.
1 Go to commentsThe Farrells are one of the great father and son combinations. Andy was an RL great, and had he played Union as his first sport, I would be sure he would have been avery significant forcewas in League. And Owen, a Union great, who had he played League, would could have been a great there too i all probability. I feel my attitude to Owen has mellowed as he has aged, and in the post Jones era, evolved and shown his full range of talents. He really is an all round player, and I have wold hope his move to France will be successful. He may even be the piece in the jigsaw that Racing need to rise to challenge Toulouse and LAR. He is ofc now approaching 33 years of age but should still have enough left to make a big contribution in France for at least2/3 years.
45 Go to commentsI reckon it may be Jordan at 10 and Nohamba at 9, both players have played together alot and both have been on the Radar for a long time. After Pollard got injured in 2022 with Elton sidelined on a path of self destruction Erasmus and Nienaber indicated that the other options in the country at the time were thin but that Jordan and Manie were the 2 they were looking at. In the end Frans steyn played flyhalf, Willemse slotted in there on the end of year with Libbok as back up. Jordan was right there in the thinking back then so expect him to take the Jersey either as the starter.
2 Go to commentsHaha did he also* say it in a sarcastic teacher sort of manor or was it the petulant English snob sort of wail?
45 Go to commentsWell said Mils. It is a big boost at last having Fergus Burke back at 10 for the Crusaders. Had a great season last year as the article says. Mils is also right about captain Codie Taylor’s performance in his return to the Crusaders last week. He was all class.
4 Go to commentsLet’s make them both Capt. I think we'd get the best of both of them and it would help alleviate some of the pressures of the role. They'd have to confer over on field decisions which should lead to “ learnings “ for both. They are our two best consistent performers.
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