Chiefs thump Moana Pasifika to underline Super Rugby Pacific title credentials

Moana Pasifika have fallen to a heavy defeat at the hands of the Chiefs in their second Super Rugby Pacific match of the season at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

In a match not too dissimilar to the Chiefs’ 61-7 pre-season victory over Moana Pasifika six weeks ago, the competition newcomers were blown off the park as they conceded nine tries to two in a 59-12 loss.

The scoreline worsened as the game progressed as Moana Pasifika’s continual postponement of fixtures proved to work against them after having impressed in their season-opener against the Crusaders a fortnight ago.

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In saying that, they began the match strongly, but poor discipline was punished by the Chiefs – a common theme throughout the match – who struck first through Bryn Gatland on the back of some well-structured and efficient attack.

Gatland’s early five-pointer was a continuation of the good form he showed in his side’s surprise victory over the Crusaders last week, but he will have the likes of Brodie Retallick and Brad Weber to thank for their tidy work in the lead-up to his try.

Their lead didn’t last long, though, as ex-Wallabies pivot Christian Leali’ifano, called into the starting lineup ahead of promising youngster Lincoln McClutchie, provided Moana Pasifika with the spark they needed to get their evening going.

Questions might have been asked about Leali’ifano’s inclusion ahead of McClutchie, who looms as one of New Zealand’s brightest young playmaking prospects whose attacking game is one of leading qualities and was highlight in Moana Pasifika’s honourable defeat to the Crusaders.

However, Leali’ifano ensured head coach Aaron Mauger will be left with some difficult decisions at the selection table as he proved his worth as a ball-running threat, even at the age of 34.

After putting the Chiefs on the back foot with a searing line break through the middle of the park, Leali’ifano was then on hand to float a deft cut-out pass to Neria Foma’i, who cantered past Gatland to level the scoreline towards the end of the opening quarter.

Leali’ifano then missed the next 10 minutes as he underwent a head injury assessment, during which time the Chiefs showed their class as Emoni Narawa went on a rampaging run down the right flank to lay the foundations for debutant flanker Hamilton Burr to score back of a rolling maul.

The dominance of the Chiefs at the set-piece and the ill-discipline of Moana Pasifika made that try possible, and it were those two reasons that allowed Narawa to cash in out wide as the first half came to a close.

The 19-7 half-time deficit could have been cut reduced by three points were it not for a missed penalty attempt by McClutchie, who was Leali’ifano’s temporary injury replacement and rattled the upright with his shot at goal.

That mattered little heading into the second half, as the Chiefs let rip when Gatland put hooker Bradley Slater into acres of space inside the first few minutes of the new stanza.

Gatland was then back on deck in the following phase to put the ball on a platter for Pita Gus Sowakula, whose rich vein of form continued when he flung a superb offload to send Jonah Lowe into the left-hand corner untouched.

As happened in their pre-season clash, the midway point of the fixtures proved to be when the wheels began to fall off Moana Pasifika’s wagon as fatigue began to set in and mistakes crept into their game.

A spillage by Manu Samoa lock Sam Slade gifted possession back to the visitors inside his own half, and a poor tackle attempt by prop Ezekiel Lindenmuth enabled Tupou Vaa’i to shrug the defender off and stroll in under the posts.

Perhaps their second half fade is reflective of their lack of matches in recent weeks, but proved to be costly for Moana Pasifika, who were soon reduced to 14 men after Leali’ifano was sin binned following a slew penalties called against his side.

The Chiefs duly made them pay, flexing their muscles by launching wave after wave of attack on the Moana Pasifika defensive line, resulting in tries to Sowakula and captain Brad Weber within three minutes of each other.

Alex Nankivell added his side’s eighth try from a perfectly executed set-piece move deep inside enemy territory, and reserve hooker Tyrone Thompson put the cherry on top with a last-minute try from a rolling maul.

Those tries ballooned the Chiefs well past the half century mark on the scoreboard, but Moana Pasifika were handed a reprieve midway through the second half when reserve prop Joe Apikotoa crossed for a hard-fought try.

That was one of the few bright spots Moana Pasifika enjoyed in the second half as they succumbed to their heaviest defeat thus far this season to keep them deeply rooted to the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific table.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, move into fourth spot, leapfrogging the Blues, Force and Waratahs in the process to underline their credentials as title contenders ahead of their round six clash with the Crusaders.

Moana Pasifka, meanwhile, will have to pick themselves up and dust themselves off ahead of a gruelling and condensed upcoming schedule that continues against the Hurricanes in Auckland next Friday.

Chiefs 59 (Tries to Bryn Gatland, Hamilton Burr, Emoni Narawa, Jonah Lowe, Tupou Vaa’i, Pita Gus Sowakula, Brad Weber, Alex Nankivell and Tyrone Thompson; 3 conversions to Gatland, 4 conversions to Josh Ioane)

Moana Pasifika 12 (Tries to Neria Foma’i and Joe Apikotoa; conversion to Christian Leali’ifano)