Chiefs v Moana Pasifika: Five takeaways as ‘ruthless’ hosts ‘neutralise’ Ardie Savea in THIRTEEN-TRY procession

Following the Chiefs’ 85-7 thrashing of Moana Pasifika in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.

The top line

Moana came into this encounter in a confident mood after a memorable triumph over defending champions the Blues last week, but they were brought down to earth against the Chiefs who delivered an outstanding all-round performance.

The home side dominated from the outset and had the majority of possession, while also dominating in the territorial stakes over the 80 minutes, which means the end result was not so surprising.

The Chiefs wasted little time in making their early dominance count as Shaun Stevenson crossed for an early converted try and they soon had a numerical advantage as Patrick Pellegrini was yellow carded in the ninth minute. Tries from Tupou Vaa’i and Cortez Ratima followed in quick succession to give the hosts a 19-0 lead midway through the half.

It was a similar story during the rest of the half and further tries from Quinn Tupaea and Damian McKenzie meant the Chiefs were cruising as they held a 31-0 lead at half-time.

The home side’s dominance continued when Leroy Carter dotted down soon after the restart before Ardie Savea powered his way over for Moana‘s only try in the 49th minute.

Despite that score, the Chiefs were still in control of proceedings and it was one-way traffic during the rest of the half as Carter and Ratima notched hat-tricks as the Chiefs cruised to victory in style. Samisoni Taukei’aho and Daniel Rona also crossed the whitewash and they were awarded a penalty try in the game’s dying moments.

Record-breaking performance from the Chiefs

Although Moana came into this encounter in good spirits after beating the Blues, the Chiefs made their intentions clear from the outset as they took the fight to their opponents for the full 80 minutes.

Clayton McMillan’s troops delivered a ruthless display as they dominated all facets of play and in the end they outscored Moana by 13 tries to one and this victory puts them comfortably atop of Super Rugby Pacific’s standings.

The result is a momentous one for the Chiefs as it’s their biggest ever winning margin (78) in Super Rugby, while they have also beaten their record for the most points and tries in a single match.

Their previous highest winning margin (56) was achieved in the corresponding fixture with Moana in Hamilton last year when they clinched a 68-12 win, while their previous best records for tries scored (10) and points notched were achieved against the Lions in Johannesburg in 2010 when they sealed a 72-65 win.

Ardie Savea neutralised

All Blacks back-row star Savea has been in inspirational form for Moana throughout this season and delivered one of the best individual performances in Super Rugby history against the Blues last week.

Chiefs player ratings: ‘Possible All Blacks bolter’ shines in one-sided victory over Moana Pasifika

It was a different story for the All Blacks star against the Chiefs, however, as he battled to get going and was kept in check by the home side’s defence especially in the opening half when he was anonymous throughout.

With the Chiefs holding a 38-0 lead early in the second half, the visitors needed a response and it was Savea who did just that as he crossed for their only try from close quarters in the 49th minute.

Despite that try, Savea wasn’t on the field for much longer as he was replaced by Ola Tauelangi in the 53rd minute. In the end, he finished the match with a paltry two metres gained and the Chiefs will be delighted that they managed to neutralise him during his stint on the field.

Leroy Carter puts his hand up for All Blacks selection

The former New Zealand Sevens and U20 representative has been in fine form since the start of the season but he was arguably his side’s best player in this match as he came to the fore with an outstanding attacking performance.

The 26-year-old took the fight to Moana for the full 80 minutes as he proved to be a real thorn in their flesh and was rewarded with a hat-trick of tries for his efforts.

This, after he finished with a match-high 119 metres gained after he completed 11 runs which included four clean breaks and seven defenders beaten.

With Mark Tele’a on his way to Japan at the end of the season, there is a vacant spot amongst the outside backs in the All Blacks team and don’t be surprised if Carter fills that gap when Scott Robertson announces his squad to take on France in New Zealand later this year.

Moana’s discipline lets them down

From the outset, Tana Umaga’s charges were on the back foot in this clash and although the Chiefs were dominant for the entire match, the visitors were their own worst enemy for long periods due to their ill discipline.

Early on, with the Chiefs holding a 7-0 lead, Pellegrini was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous hit to Emoni Narawa’s face and while Moana’s fly-half was off the field the home side crossed for two tries which meant the visitors were always playing catch up after that.

And just before half-time Moana were reduced to 14 men again when the Chiefs were awarded a penalty and Sam Slade slapped the ball out of Ratima’s hands as he tried to play quickly.

It was a similar story during Slade’s time in the sin bin as the hosts scored two further tries during that period.

And although none of their other players were sent off after that, Moana’s poor discipline continued to haunt them and they eventually conceded a whopping 16 penalties over the 80 minutes while their opponents were only penalised on four occasions.

READ MORE: Sevu Reece sets sights on new goal after breaking Super Rugby try-scoring record