Damian McKenzie makes All Blacks statement as Chiefs take maximum at Waratahs
Chiefs star Damian McKenzie passing the ball.
Chiefs superstar Damian McKenzie had his fingerprints all over his team’s 38-22 bonus-point win over the Waratahs in Sydney on Friday.
The visitors scored six tries on the night through an Emoni Narawa brace and tries from Shaun Stevenson, Cortez Ratima, Wallace Sititi and Kaylum Boshier with McKenzie adding four conversions.
The Waratahs did manage three tries as Julian Heaven, Jake Gordon and Lachlan Swinton all scored with Tane Edmed kicking a penalty and conversion while replacement Will Harrison kicked a conversion as well.
Click here to see teams and scorers
It was actually the hosts who got out of the blocks first, managing two tries in the first 19 minutes as Heaven crossed in the 11th minute for a converted try before Gordon showed good awareness eight minutes later to sneak over.
That would be the end of their momentum as the Chiefs clawed their way into the game, powered by a Stevenson try in the 22nd minute that saw the star get injured in the process. McKenzie would miss that kick but get the next after playing Narawa in for his first try on the stroke of half-time.
That pass from DMac 🤌🤤#SuperRugbyPacific #WARvCHI pic.twitter.com/IaOokE4yCf
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 26, 2024
Narawa started the second half as he left the first, scoring after seven minutes, which was quickly followed by Edmed’s penalty.
The Chiefs did not wait around as Ratima finished off a lovely flowing effort to score his eighth of the season with McKenzie adding the extras.
Rising star Sititi showed his tremendous power to crash over from a scrum just after the hour mark, a try that the Waratahs almost immediately responded to with a converted Swinton effort.
The Chiefs rounded out the scoring for the game as Boshier expertly picked a loose ball following a clean break to cross in the corner, with McKenzie’s conversion salt in the wound for the well-beaten Waratahs.
NRL star puts All Blacks ambitions on ice for now
The teams
Waratahs: 15 Max Jorgensen, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Joey Walton, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Triston Reilly, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon (c), 8 Ned Hanigan, 7 Charlie Gamble, 6 Lachlan Swinton, 5 Miles Amatosero, 4 Hugh Sinclair, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Julian Heaven, 1 Hayden Thompson-Stringer
Replacements: 16 Jay Fonokalafi, 17 Lewis Ponini, 18 Tom Ross, 19 Jed Holloway, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Will Harrison, 23 Izaia Perese
Chiefs: 15 Shaun Stevenson, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Rameka Poihipi, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Kaylum Boshier (c), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Jimmy Tupou, 3 George Dyer, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Jared Proffit, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Quinn Tupaea
