Chiefs v Highlanders: Five takeaways as hosts’ ‘unlikely hero’ emerges while All Blacks hopeful suffers horrific injury
Chiefs lock Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi and Highlanders wing Caleb Tangitau (inset).
Following the Chiefs’ 42-12 win over the Highlanders in their Super Rugby Pacific derby at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
As the scoreline suggests, the Chiefs were full value for this victory as they held the upper hand for long periods and eventually outscored their visitors by six tries to two.
There was little to separate the sides during the early exchanges but the Highlanders eventually struck when Lucas Casey crossed for the opening try midway through the opening half.
The Chiefs responded when All Blacks star Wallace Sititi dotted down in the 26th minute before a yellow card to Tomas Lavanini saw the Highlanders lose their way and Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi dotted down twice to give the hosts a 21-7 lead at half-time.
After the break, Xavier Roe and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens traded tries which meant the Chiefs were holding a 28-12 lead by the 57th minute.
The hosts finished stronger and further tries from Brodie McAlister and Kyle Brown in the game’s closing minutes secured them a deserved bonus-point victory.
A costly yellow card for the Highlanders
The early stages were evenly contested before a brain fade from Highlanders second-row Lavanini changed the reflection of this encounter on the half-hour mark.
The Chiefs launched an attack just inside the Highlanders’ half with Ollie Norris taking the ball into contact and when he was confronted by a defender, he threw an inside pass to the on-rushing Sititi.
However, before the All Blacks number eight could gather the ball he was pulled back by Lavanini in front of referee Nic Berry, who had little hesitation in issuing a yellow card to the veteran Argentina international.
At the time of that indiscretion, the sides were level at 7-7 but the Chiefs made full use of their numerical advantage as they were rewarded with two converted tries from Ah Kuoi in the opening half’s closing stages which gave the home side a 21-7 buffer at the interval.
That lead gave the Chiefs some breathing space and they eventually kicked on to clinch the result in the second half as Lavanini’s ill discipline cost his team dearly.
Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi catches the eye for the Chiefs
Established All Blacks stars like Sititi, Tupou Vaa’i and Damian McKenzie all delivered fine performances in this clash but Ah Kuoi was the Chiefs’ unlikely hero as he caught the eye with an outstanding all-round display.
The 26-year-old hit the ground running as he was in the thick of the action on either side of the ball and proved a thorn in the Highlanders defence on attack.
Ah Kuoi showed his class when he threw an inside pass to Sititi, who scored for his try, and continued to impress with ball in hand as he soon crossed the whitewash himself in the 31st minute when he barged over from close quarters.
Apart from that, the second-row was a valuable source of possession in the lineouts and delivered a high work-rate on defence as he completed 11 tackles during the match.
Lucas Casey a shining light for the visitors
Although he only made his Super Rugby Pacific debut for the Dunedin-based outfit earlier this year, the rookie back-row was their best player on display in this match as he delivered a superb all-round performance.
From the outset, the 23-year-old took the fight to the Chiefs as he proved difficult to stop with ball in hand and his efforts were rewarded early on when he went over for the opening try.
This, after he caught the Highlanders defence napping when he gathered the ball off the back of a scrum inside his opponents’ 22 before crashing over for his five-pointer.
Casey initially started on the openside flank but was forced to move to the base of the scrum when first choice number eight Nikora Broughton was forced off the field after 11 minutes due to injury.
Despite his change in position, Casey put in an fine performance for the full 80 minutes. Apart from his try, he gained 117 metres on attack which included 22 carries and eight defenders beaten while he also shone on defence with a match-high 18 tackles made and won a turnover.
Casey’s efforts were rewarded after the game with the official man-of-the-match award.
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Injury ruins Highlanders flyer’s All Blacks dream
New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie and two of his assistants Jason Ryan and Mike Blair were in the crowd at FMG Stadium Waikato and there were several players who were keen to impress those esteemed spectators.
For the Highlanders, one such player was Caleb Tangitau, who has been amongst the standout wings in Super Rugby Pacific this year after several outstanding attacking performances for the men from Dunedin.
Although the Highlanders were on the back foot for most of this encounter and Tangitau failed to cross the whitewash, he was always looking for work be that on attack or defence.
He eventually gained 26 metres from 14 runs which included two clean breaks and made seven tackles. However, things went pear-shaped in the game’s dying moments when the 23-year-old was carted from the field after he went down due to a non-contact knee injury.
Tangitau was in tears as he left the pitch which means he potentially suffered a long-term injury and it looks like his All Blacks dream has been put on hold.