A good bit of toe-to-toe action with Asafo Aumua, but the Chiefs had more lineout woes on their ball and the Canes man was much more effective charging about on attack.<\/p>\n
3. George Dyer \u2013 5<\/p>\n
Got poked about in the scrums, but gave a magic quick pass to put Simon Parker over in the 48th minute.<\/p>\n
4. Josh Lord \u2013 6<\/p>\n
Shoved himself into the Hurricanes\u2019 lineout to good effect in the first half. Disrupting their platform as the packs squared up. Gets about the park nicely.<\/p>\n
The Chiefs’ Josh Lord charges at the Hurricanes defence in Hamilton. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
5. Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi \u2013 5<\/p>\n
Couldn\u2019t make his impact felt at lineout or carting the ball up. <\/p>\n
6. Simon Parker \u2013 8<\/p>\n
Big bopper had seemingly slipped down the pecking order of contenders for the All Blacks No 6 jersey<\/a>. But he was on fire in the Tron, putting in some mighty hits, including one brute of a nudge on Asafo Aumua, knocking him flat and charging on through the scrappy debris to claim the ball. Parker put in plenty of smart breakdown work and carried the ball like a tank, getting rewarded with a 49th-minute try. A couple more performances like this one, and there\u2019ll be no doubt about the pecking order for that black No 6 jersey. <\/p>\n 7. Jahrome Brown \u2013 4<\/p>\n Late call up was overshadowed by the proxy All Blacks trial being played out by pretty much every other loosie on show.<\/p>\n 8. Luke Jacobson (c) \u2013 7<\/p>\n Toiling Chiefs skipper played the full 90 minutes in his 100th game for the side<\/a> with a typically gutsy effort. Crucial work to quell a Hurricanes surging maul in the 51st minute typified a night of gutsy effort. Tackled and threw his body into everything right until both final whistles.<\/p>\n 9. Cortez Ratima \u2013 6<\/p>\n Performed well on a night when many eyes were on his much-lauded opposite number. Ratima\u2019s sharp work sent Simon Parker over the line, and he booted the ball well on a night when getting rid of the thing seemed to be the prudent course of action.<\/p>\n 10. Damian McKenzie \u2013 7<\/p>\n Hardest bloke on the park to hang to, but he would have wanted to get his side into better scoring positions when they had the handy first-half wind. McKenzie\u2019s clever breaks give him a points victory over Ruben Love in the Possibles v Probables ledger; the Chiefs man matched Love for game management, but added so much more menace when slicing the line. Once Josh Jacomb joined the fray for the Chiefs as a traditional No 10, McKenzie slipped into \u201clibero grande\u201d mode, running wherever he fancied in the backline and sparking the attacks that swung momentum their way.<\/p>\n 11. Kyren Taumoefolau \u2013 7<\/p>\n Was at fault in the Hurricanes\u2019 opening try, when he came off the line early leaving space on the outside. But a gutsy dab in the 54th minute showed his willingness and confidence in a tense clash, and his late runs gave the side momentum \u2013 including a key break that put the Chiefs in position to land the winning points.<\/p>\n 12. Reon Paul \u2013 5<\/p>\n The only non-All Black among the starting midfielders was playing in just his second Super Rugby match. A tough night for a newbie to get any cut through running alongside and against seasoned veterans. <\/p>\n 13. Quinn Tupaea \u2013 6<\/p>\n Tupaea\u2019s thrusts were largely contained by the Hurricanes \u2013 Barrett in particular tangling up the Chiefs midfield missile<\/a>. But he gave McKenzie a direct avenue to send the ball whenever the side needed go-ahead and was very effective in defence.<\/p>\n 14. Leroy Carter \u2013 7<\/p>\n Spilled the chance of a 12th-minute score when McKenzie ripped the Hurricanes line. But Carter made amends, hitting the gas to bring the Chiefs back into the match in the 72nd minute, and the offload was a thing of beauty.<\/p>\n 15. Liam Coobes-Fabling \u2013 6<\/p>\n A nice 69-minute run in which defensive duties were to the fore.<\/p>\n Bench<\/p>\n 16. Brodie McAlister \u2013 5<\/p>\n His late run continued the Chiefs lineout wobbles; elsewhere he heartily piled into breakdowns and defensive work.<\/p>\n 17. Jared Proffit \u2013 5<\/p>\n Came on to chase the game and his team quickly pulled level.<\/p>\n 18. Benet Kumeroa \u2013 5<\/p>\n Should be happy with the way the hosts\u2019 bench got one over the Hurricanes. <\/p>\n 19. Fiti Sa \u2013 5<\/p>\n Got out there in time to see the Chiefs\u2019 position strengthen. Little chance to contribute.<\/p>\n 20. Wallace Sititi \u2013 9<\/p>\n Returning from a hamstring injury picked up way back in February<\/a>, the powerhouse loosie trotted on in the 53rd minute and got straight into the fray battering into the visitor\u2019s midfield with hearty carries. His run from the bench into tiring defences was pretty much ideal Bomb Squad material \u2013 something likely to have been noted by the All Blacks coaches. The winning try will define his night, but everything he did before then was pretty much flawless.<\/p>\n 21. Xavier Roe \u2013 6<\/p>\n Brought bustling energy to his cameo, with real hustle and pace that seemed to be sagging behind the Chiefs pack. <\/p>\n 22. Josh Jacomb \u2013 5<\/p>\n Looked predictable in the No 10 role compared with Love and McKenzie, but on a tense night, maybe that was a good thing. <\/p>\n 23. Dan Sinkinson \u2013 6<\/p>\n Was on hand to finish the break that levelled the scores. <\/p>\n Hurricanes<\/p>\n 1. Xavier Numia \u2013 6<\/p>\n Got good results from scrums and was a smart operator at the breakdowns. <\/p>\n 2. Asafo Aumua \u2013 7<\/p>\n Got isolated and lost possession a couple of times early in the match, but grew into the game with impressive breakdown work. Watched as a couple of his team-mates got bent back on short-range charges to the Chiefs line, then showed them all how it\u2019s done charging hard and low for an unstoppable scoring blast.<\/p>\n 3. Pasilio Tosi \u2013 6<\/p>\n Handy at the breakdown and dominant at the scrum on a night when Bomb Squad brute force was in order.<\/p>\n 4. Isaia Walker-Leawere \u2013 4<\/p>\n A couple of mis-timed lineout efforts in the early stages of the match fractured the visitor\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n 5. Warner Dearns \u2013 7<\/p>\n Made himself a real handful for the Chiefs lineout jumpers, and was similarly annoying for the hosts around the breakdowns. Might feel luck is against him after a superb charge down blocked McKenzie\u2019s drop goal, only to become an assist for Sititi\u2019s winning try.<\/p>\n 6. Devan Flanders \u2013 4<\/p>\n A night of toil and tackling during which he was outshone by his Chiefs opposite.<\/p>\n 7. Du\u2019Plessis Kirifi (cc) \u2013 7<\/p>\n Terrific breakdown work and tackling from the old-fashioned No 7 jackaler<\/a>. Kirifi formed a great combination with Peter Lakai, and the Canes were looking pretty good when he left the field in the 63rd minute.<\/p>\n 8. Peter Lakai \u2013 8<\/p>\n Once again, pressed his strong claim for further All Blacks action<\/a> with great work on both sides of the ball. Fantastic to see him and Wallace Sititi bouncing off each other; both enhanced their cases for Dave Rennie to have them in the black jersey. <\/p>\n 9. Cam Roigard \u2013 8<\/p>\n Roigard was slick, powerful and clever as ever in a performance that should have been a match winner. Showed his smarts and awareness<\/a> throughout the game, hitting Peter Lakai with a sharp bullet of a pass for a try and darting regularly to good effect. Hurricanes fans were frustrated when he was subbed off at the start of extra time, and judging by the look on Roigard\u2019s face, he was too. <\/p>\n 10. Ruben Love \u2013 6<\/p>\n Organised his men well when playing into the heavy breeze in the opening 40 minutes, with a mix of smart kicking and distribution. But Love blew an opportunity for a grand scoring platform at the start of the second spell when he missed touch from a penalty. He was unable to make scything runs to match those of his Chiefs opposite McKenzie.<\/p>\n 11. Fehi Fineanganofo \u2013 4<\/p>\nChiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie prepares to catch the ball in Saturday’s match against the Hurricanes. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea is brought down in last night’s match against the Hurricanes. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Wallace Sititi scores the match-winning try in Hamilton. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Hurricanes flanker Du\u2019Plessis Kirifi runs with the ball against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Hurricanes first five-eighths Ruben Love boots the ball against the Chiefs, in Hamilton. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n