Chiefs v Reds: Five takeaways as Luke Jacobson leads the way for hosts while visitors rue penalty tactic
Reds fly-half Harry McLaughlin-Phillips and Chiefs skipper Luke Jacobson.
Following the Chiefs’ 27-15 win over the Reds in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
This was a battle between the top two teams in the competition and it was an attritional affair in atrocious weather conditions with heavy rain pelting down for the full 80 minutes.
Due to the weather, the teams could not execute their usual expansive game-plans but they stayed true to their attacking roots throughout and both sides scored three tries apiece.
The Chiefs were fastest out of the blocks and were rewarded with a Luke Jacobson try as early as the third minute, with Damian McKenzie adding the extras before Matt Faessler opened the visitors’ account when he crossed the whitewash midway through the half.
McKenzie extended the home side’s lead with a 27th minute penalty but the Reds made sure the sides were deadlocked at 10-10 at the interval when Joe Brial dotted down on the stroke of half-time.
The attritional nature to this game continued in the second half but the Reds suffered a setback soon after the restart when Jeffery Toomaga-Allen was yellow carded for an illegal cleanout at a ruck soon after the restart.
The Chiefs went further ahead when McKenzie slotted another penalty in the 57th minute but the Reds stayed in the fight with their defence doing well to keep the hosts at bay for long periods.
The dam wall eventually burst when Samisoni Taukei’aho crossed for a five-pointer in the 71st minute and they sealed their win when Xavier Roe also scored a try eight minutes later.
To their credit, the Reds did not surrender and were rewarded when Tom Lynagh crossed for a consolation try in the game’s dying moments.
Luke Jacobson leads the way for the Chiefs
The Chiefs skipper and All Blacks back-row deserves plenty of praise as he caught the eye with an outstanding all-round performance in difficult conditions.
The 27-year-old packed down at number eight for this fixture and hit the ground running as he put his side on the front foot with a well-taken try during the game’s early stages.
The home side took the ball through the phases with their forwards inside the Reds’ 22 and Jacobson caught the defence napping when he showed great leg drive and determination to power his way past two defenders before dotting down under the posts.
Jacobson continued to impress as a ball carrier during the rest of the match and also caught the eye with a high work-rate on defence where he put in some big hits and competed ferociously at the breakdowns.
Apart from his excellent play, Jacobson also impressed with his calm leadership and decision making, particularly in the game’s latter stages when the Chiefs eventually sealed the victory courtesy of Taukei’aho and Roe’s tries.
Chiefs’ bench impact proves the difference
Due to the weather conditions, most of this match as a slugfest with the sides giving their all to gain the ascendancy but Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan’s alterations to his playing staff ultimately got them over the line.
With All Blacks stars like Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i and Samipeni Finau amongst the replacements, the Chiefs had an edge over their opponents and the introduction of the aforementioned trio early in the second half certainly gave the hosts the advantage when the match was on a knife’s edge.
After McKenzie gave them a 13-10 lead, the Chiefs took control of proceedings with the impact of their forward replacements visible while scrum-half Roe’s introduction in the final quarter also gave them much needed energy at a crucial stage of the match.
Although the Reds competed bravely throughout, the Chiefs’ dominance was eventually rewarded with those late tries from replacements Taukei’aho and Roe eventually securing them the victory.
Reds penalty drought continues
The Reds came into this encounter without having kicked for posts in any of their six previous matches played in this year’s tournament and it was a similar story in Hamilton.
Whenever the men from Brisbane have been awarded a penalty and it’s in goal-kicking range, they’ve turned down a shot for goal, opting instead to kick for touch before launching attacks from the resulting lineouts.
That’s exactly what happened in the 19th minute against the Chiefs when referee Nic Berry awarded a penalty in front of the posts to the visitors’ captain Tate McDermott but he instructed his fly-half Harry McLaughlin-Phillips to kick for touch, which he duly did.
That tactic reaped reward as the Reds launched a drive from the resulting lineout before Faessler crossed for a try which opened the visitors’ account.
It was a similar story in the 50th minute after the Reds won a scrum penalty deep inside Chiefs territory but this time the gamble did not pay off as the Chiefs managed to stop their opponents’ maul close to their try-line.
While the jury is still out over that tactic, one wonders whether it would not have been a better option to take some shots at goal against the Chiefs, especially when one takes the rainy conditions – which made try-scoring more difficult on the day.
The Reds are the real deal
Although they finished on the losing side, the Brisbane-based outfit can hold their heads high as they were competitive for long periods and their 12-point defeat is not a fair reflection on this match.
The Reds came into this encounter sitting pretty atop the Super Rugby Pacific table, which is an unusual feat for an Australian team as New Zealand sides have dominated the competition since its inception in 2022.
The men from Brisbane showed that they deserved their position in the standings as they gave a good account of themselves for the full 80 minutes in Hamilton and head coach Les Kiss deserves credit for the improvements to his team who finished in fifth position at the end of the 2024 regular season.
The visitors’ pack stood up well in the forward battle as they took the fight to the Chiefs while they also impressed with sold defence which kept their hosts’ dangerous backline at bay for most of the match.
The Chiefs eventually clinched the result with two late tries but Kiss’ troops continued to stay in the fight and were rewarded with their own five-pointer after the full-time hooter which added some respectability to the final score.
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