Chiefs sink Waratahs in ‘Super Round’ with slick start and fantastic finish

Chiefs winger runs riot as the Waratahs pay the price for an ordinary start and poor finish in ‘Super Round’.

Chiefs winger Jonah Lowe scored four tries as the New Zealand outfit withstood a courageous fightback from the gallant NSW Waratahs at AAMI Park on Friday night.

In an entertaining start to Super Rugby Pacific’s “Super Round”, the Chiefs scored the final three tries of the match to win 51-27.

However, despite losing by 24 points, the Waratahs were far from disgraced and were brave in fighting back from a horror first half in which they had prop Angus Bell sent off and centre Jamie Roberts sin-binned, as well as hooker Dave Porecki (concussion) and fullback Will Harrison (knee) suffer match-ending injuries.

Despite their adversity – which also included replacement hooker Tom Horton (concussion) forced off five minutes after half-time, which led to uncontested scrums for the rest of the match – the Waratahs reduced the Chiefs lead to just three points in the 51st minute after skipper Jake Gordon’s second try of the match.

But it was one-way traffic after that, with the Chiefs scoring the game’s final 21 points to secure a seven-tries-to-three bonus point win.

The victory also continued the dominance shown in last year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition by New Zealand teams over their Australian rivals.

Despite his side’s bravery, Waratahs coach Darren Coleman wasn’t interested in excuses after the loss.

Chiefs winger Jonah Lowe scores one of his four tries. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

“The difference between us and the Kiwis at the moment is that last 15 to 20 minutes,” Coleman said.

“We need to improve. Cream rises as they say and we’re not quite there yet.

“I’m proud of their fight and their character ... but we’ve got to get better in the last 20 minutes.”

“We just weren’t good enough today. They were better than us.”

Coleman said Harrison’s knee injury was serious and likely to lead to a long-term absence.

 Chiefs captain Sam Cane praised the Waratahs for their fightback.

“Right up until the last 10 minutes the game was there for the taking,” Cane said.

“The boys did really well to swing it back in our favour.”

The Waratahs’ woes started in just the second minute when prop Bell was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Cane.

Bell could have no complaints with referee Nic Berry’s decision after he lifted Cane and dumped him head first into the turf.

Angus Bell watches from the sidelines after being sent off. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

The Waratahs also lost Porecki inside the first five minutes to concussion, with the in-form hooker failing a subsequent HIA test and taking no further part in the match.

Worse was to follow on the quarter-hour mark when Roberts was sin-binned for 10 minutes for a deliberate knock down, leaving the Waratahs with just 13 players on the park.

The Chiefs made the most of Waratahs’ problems, scoring three tries while having a numerical advantage.

Hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho, and wingers Quinn Tupaea and Lowe each scored as the Chiefs opened up a 22-3 lead after just 22 minutes.

Tupaea also scored a 37th-minute try, but amazingly the Waratahs – who also lost Harrison late in the first half – only trailed by 13 points at half-time after scoring tries of their own from skipper Jake Gordon and winger Alex Newsome.

The Waratahs started the second half well before being outclassed by the Chiefs in the final 30 minutes.

“We haven’t finished well all year,” Coleman said.