Chiefs vs Force takes: Chiefs fall short of statement, fullback McKenzie

The Chiefs have claimed a 24-14 win over the Western Force in Perth. It’s another notch in the win column for the men from Hamilton, but it will do little to quiet the noise surrounding the team.

Having surrendered a 24-7 lead last week in Canberra, the Chiefs lined up against a team they own an eight-game win streak over, scoring an average of 41.6 points per game throughout that streak.

Saturday night was anything but high-scoring, though, with the Force’s defence denying a Chiefs team happy to keep the ball in hand for much of the 80 minutes.

The match hung in the balance right until a 78th-minute penalty from Damian McKenzie made it a two-score game.

Here are some takeaways from the match.

McKenzie a fullback once more

Chiefs head coach Jono Gibbes has clearly been left wanting a little more from his fullbacks early in the 2026 season.

The first-year head coach looked to Etene Nanai-Seturo to fill the No.15 role in the first three weeks of the season, then Liam Coombes-Fabling for the last two rounds, and has now shuffled his deck to have Damian McKenzie out the back for round 7.

All of this, of course, comes after Shaun Stevenson’s departure for Japan over the offseason.

The latest iteration of the Chiefs’ backfield looks to be a strong choice, but not necessarily because of McKenzie’s influence from fullback. It was Josh Jacomb’s performance at 10 that caught the eye in Perth.

Starting at No.10 for the first time since McKenzie returned from paternity leave, Jacomb had four linebreaks in the first half alone, with double the run meters of anyone in the opening 40 minutes. The 24-year-old was then much quieter in the second half and was replaced after 66 minutes.

McKenzie’s performance was one of rocks and diamonds, not demanding either jersey with any conviction. If he is to stay at fullback, it will be because of Jacomb’s form at 10.

Defence back on the menu

With the visitors coming at them straight through Main Street, the Force’s defence stood up on Saturday night.

Seven Force forwards made more than a dozen tackles, with Nick Champion de Crespigny leading the way with two dozen. Vaiolini Ekuasi continues to be one of the most productive players in Super Rugby, ranking in the top 10 for carries and tackles per 80 minutes, and the 24-year-old added 20 tackles against the Chiefs.

The visitors will also be pleased with their efforts defensively. Yes, they starved the Force of ball for large stretches of the game, but this was a team who have conceded four or more tries in three straight games, despite being among the competition leaders in tackle completion. They completed 93 per cent of their efforts on Saturday night.

Chiefs fall short of statement

The Chiefs received a fair amount of criticism following last week’s capitulation to the Brumbies, and had a chance to send a message this week in Perth.

To be frank, the Chiefs were facing a team that had won just one of their last 11 Super Rugby Pacific games; this should have been a chance for the Chiefs to exorcise some demons and show their class. Instead, they never looked to get out of second gear, in the end claiming an unconvincing win as the Force struggled to get their hands on the ball.

The Chiefs’ lineout was poor, and the attack looked uninventive with prolonged periods of one-off runners well dealt with by the Force.

The serial finalists had plenty of opportunities to cement a win before the 79th minute, but Damian McKenzie missed a regulation penalty, the lineout was stolen, and execution was lacking when breaks were made.

Sometimes teams just feel like they’re lacking mojo, and the Chiefs appear to be in that hole right now.