Taumoefolau and Tupaea star as Chiefs put 62 points on Moana Pasifika

The Chiefs have taken care of business against Moana Pasifika in Rotorua, scoring 62 points and keeping their opponents scoreless until the 50th minute.

Moana Pasifika didn’t go down without a fight, scoring three tries late in the piece, but with four Chiefs players scoring doubles, the game was decided early. The match ended with a scoreline of 62-17, giving the Chiefs a real chance to rise to second place on the season table heading into round 10.

The Chiefs were quick to earn attacking field position with a Damian McKenzie 50/22, and while Cortez Ratima dropped the pass from the lineout, the Chiefs charged down Moana’s attempted exit, and the following attempt made little ground, offering the Chiefs another lineout not far from their first one.

Kyren Taumoefolau then popped up in the midfield and got his shoulders through, using his reach to get an offload away that put the Chiefs through a gap with Quinn Tupaea scoring in the corner.

Taumoefolau was back in the action shortly after play resumed when he collected his own chip and chase. Moments later, Tupaea returned the favour by breaking the line and setting Taumoefolau away to score in the corner.

Moana generated some momentum in the next passage of play, but were held up over the line.

It was another chip and chase that set up the Chiefs’ third try, with McKenzie’s kick collected by Tupaea, who dropped the ball off to Samipeni Finau for another seven points.

Moana were held up over the line a second time in the 23rd minute.

The next big break came when McKenzie dropped an inside ball to Taumoefolau on a set play off a lineout, with the winger gliding through a gap before linking once more with Tupaea, who scored his second.

The second half kicked off with a 50/22 from William Havili, and while Mills Sanerivi overthrew the lineout, Moana charged down the attempted clearance kick. The Chiefs then broke through as Liam Coombes-Fabling outpaced the defence, returning the ball to McKenzie, who completed the 80-metre effort. The five points saw McKenzie’s career tally for the Chiefs exceed 1500.

Taumoefolau would have had his second two minutes later, but fumbled the ball in the tackle right on the try line. A rolling maul try to Tyrone Thompson made the score 36-0 in the 47th minute.

The class of Patrick Pellegrini took centre-stage in the 50th minute, when he collected a kick on halfway and broke the line before putting in a chip kick, which was retrieved by Solomon Alaimalo for Moana Pasifika’s first points of the game.

The Chiefs responded with a third-phase strike play off a lineout, with Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter and Liam Coombes-Fabling all wrapping around the ruck to attack the short side. It was again the pace of Coombes-Fabling that broke the Moana line, and then Taumoefolau finished under the posts.

A loose offload from Moana Pasifika was picked up by Josh Jacomb in the 58th minute, with the reserve playmaker showing enough pace to run 60 metres and score.

A break from Fiti Sa in his own 22 then put Leroy Carter away down the right edge, but the All Black was run down by Patrick Pellegrini. Jahrome Brown was on hand to secure possession for the Chiefs, and McKenzie finished the play with a try.

Alaimalo made the next break of the game, sprinting 30 metres around the Chiefs’ defence and getting his team on the front foot. A handful of tough carries later, Abraham Pole powered over for Moana’s second try of the afternoon.

Moana had their third when their captain, Miracle Faiilagi, produced a brilliant 50-metre solo effort that ended with him and Damian McKenzie crashing over the try line.

The Chiefs notched 62 with a strong run by Tryone Thompson close to the line, the final of 13 tries in Rotorua.