Chiefs steal it late
16 Mar 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on the Chiefs’ 29-22 victory over the Brumbies secured through a Jackson Willison try at the death.
It was by no means convincing but the Chiefs continue their early-season march, giving further fuel to the growing belief that they will be among the teams involved in the business end of the tournament. To progress beyond the play-offs they need to exorcise the demons that sporadically tempt them to abandon a balanced approach in favour of crowd-pleasing panache.
The Chiefs at times resembled the rudderless side they were last year, shifting the ball laterally without any platform to do so effectively. Where purpose had characterised their attacks prior to this match, there was too much hope of individual brilliance, which was in short supply. It was no surprise that both their tries were built on pragmatic phase play.
Credit to the Brumbies for their structure, accuracy and power on defence – hallmarks of a Jake White team. The pressure they were able to exert in this regard contributed significantly to a string of handling errors the Chiefs committed, although a number of their cough-ups were simply schoolboy.
The Brumbies should have been ahead at the break (tied 9-9) having shown greater composure on attack but lacking the killer blow in the red zone. Their phase play and rolling mauls troubled the Chiefs, who lacked the gainline physicality to stifle the former and the organisational skill to quell the latter. Their lack of punch in the tackle compromised their breakdown contest and resulted in them conceding a string of breakdown penalties, which Christian Lealiifano duly banked.
He traded three pointers with Aaron Cruden, the flyhalves kicking five apiece to lock the scores at 15-all going into the final quarter. However, you sensed that the Chiefs had the edge. With their cavalier spirit reigned in slightly they were able to exert pressure in a manner they never were in the first half. They worked through phases and rewarded when Sona Taumalolo drove over from close range. Cruden converted to give his side the lead with seven minutes to play.
But then the Chiefs showed their tactically naive side once more, attempting to run themselves out of their territory instead of punting deep and forcing the Brumbies to take risks. They turned over possession and with four minutes to play Brumbies lock Sam Carter burrowed over the whitewash. Lealiifano held his nerve to level the scores once more from a difficult angle.
But the Chiefs redeemed themselves immediately. They depleted the Brumbies’ defensive line through multiple phases before shifting the ball to Willison for the match-winning score.
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226 Comments
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16 Mar 2012, 09:59 am
15-15? seriously?
man i should be watching this game, jut for pure entertainment
16 Mar 2012, 10:00 am
Nice one Chiefs. Give them their own medicine
16 Mar 2012, 10:01 am
Insane bodies-on-line by Brumbies… will be a miracle to keep these Chiefs off the line…
16 Mar 2012, 10:01 am
Chiefs just do a rolling maul? whats the score now?
16 Mar 2012, 10:02 am
Yeahhhhhh Chiefs! Try!
16 Mar 2012, 10:02 am
@Papoose(papaown)-51:
Held up over the line under the sticks!
Brumbies conditioning on another level…
16 Mar 2012, 10:04 am
Try denied! Brumbies survive
16 Mar 2012, 10:04 am
Finally try given. Nice one Arizona!
16 Mar 2012, 10:04 am
are you FREEKIN serious? who scored? wait you saying it was not a try? well at least Chiefs get another attacking scrum. Messam to score to boost me over the top in fantasy rugga
16 Mar 2012, 10:05 am
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-58: whats going on? who scored? try given or not?
16 Mar 2012, 10:06 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-53:
Seems it’s starting to take its toll on their forwards.
Will be interesting to see how the Brumbies react.
16 Mar 2012, 10:06 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-28: yes he is, both his parents were all blacks…
16 Mar 2012, 10:07 am
Try Given. Taumololo. Brumbies 10 droped the ball, so scrum for Chiefs in Brumbies half
16 Mar 2012, 10:07 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-62: dude seriously? you’re killing the vibe guy
16 Mar 2012, 10:07 am
@Papoose(papaown)-60:
Chiefs got held up, got a 5 meter scrum.
From the scrum the pushed the Brumbies back, 8th man picked up and was well supported and got carried over the line
16 Mar 2012, 10:08 am
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-63: YESSSSS, Taumololo also in my fantasy team. i’m gonna kill it this week!!
16 Mar 2012, 10:11 am
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-61:
For sure… they’re looking battered… have more than held their own against a very good Chiefs pack…
16 Mar 2012, 10:12 am
Holy **** this is close… Brumbies 1m from the line!
16 Mar 2012, 10:12 am
godammit chiefs!
16 Mar 2012, 10:13 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-68: no wayss!
16 Mar 2012, 10:13 am
And up to the TMO!
16 Mar 2012, 10:13 am
@welcome to my life, hugh…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-69: what happened?
16 Mar 2012, 10:14 am
listen to these farking commentators
fark
16 Mar 2012, 10:15 am
Awarded!
16 Mar 2012, 10:15 am
no farking try
it was not a farking try
16 Mar 2012, 10:16 am
@welcome to my life, hugh…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-73:
Painful… wish Clarke and Kafe had this one…
HUGE conversion!
16 Mar 2012, 10:16 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-36: Jake White will punish the ANC/SARU for not treating a RWC Winning coach &1 of best technical coaches still in the game, not by his choice but simply by doing his job where appreciated!
Think ppl also forget invective powers of Brumbies?
16 Mar 2012, 10:16 am
all square
16 Mar 2012, 10:16 am
@welcome to my life, hugh…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-75: why wasnt it a try? who was try awarded to? how did this happen?
tell us all DAMMIT
16 Mar 2012, 10:16 am
Scores level
5 minutes to go
OK the ref says 4 minutes to play
16 Mar 2012, 10:17 am
The Brumbies play such boring k@k rugby. Mauling all the farking time.
16 Mar 2012, 10:17 am
@Wezwp(Wezwp)-78: OMW
16 Mar 2012, 10:19 am
@Papoose(papaown)-72:
brumbies player goes over the tryline, to me he did not clearly ground the ball and may have been held up.
ref says to tmo he went over something to do with inconclusiveness and just wants a reason not to award the try.
16 Mar 2012, 10:20 am
Chiefs score!
Koek innie hoek
16 Mar 2012, 10:20 am
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-84: NO ways!! i gotta watch the highlights of this game… I’m telling u!
16 Mar 2012, 10:20 am
What a game… Smith clearly knows how to change game-plans ‘just’ in time…
16 Mar 2012, 10:21 am
@Papoose(papaown)-79:
tmo being bound by protocol had to say the usual.
fark yes chiefs you beauts!
16 Mar 2012, 10:23 am
Brave defence by Brumbies all night but in the end their bodies couldn’t handle it anymore if you look at the way they got run over in these last 4 minutes.
Brumbies will lose a lot of close games against the better sides this year, unless of course they too decide to run more often instead of winning field, keeping it tight and defending for most of the game.
Like the Boks in Jake’s and PDV’s era.
16 Mar 2012, 10:26 am
@Papoose(papaown)-85:
It was a tight scrap more than anything.
16 Mar 2012, 10:27 am
who scored the last try?
16 Mar 2012, 10:29 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-86: wayne smith will ALWAYS outsmart jake…
16 Mar 2012, 10:29 am
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-89: i see, so the blooger commentary was more exciting than anything else?
16 Mar 2012, 10:30 am
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-81:
And ironically Wayne Smith changing tact to that very strategy rather than swinging everything wide saw them saving their own skins from the biggest upset of the competition so far…
16 Mar 2012, 10:30 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-91: thats sooo mean spirited Transie
16 Mar 2012, 10:31 am
Glad the Brumbies lost. The ripped off the Cheetahs and aparently got given a try there at the end. Can’t wait for them to tour. Let’s see all this home crowd decisions then. I HATE MAULS!
16 Mar 2012, 10:31 am
Well done Brumbies!! Chiefs not as hot as originally thought or Brumbies better than originally thought?
16 Mar 2012, 10:31 am
Good game, more of that over the weekend would be great. Arizona is a beast two metres out from the line, damn near unstoppable.
16 Mar 2012, 10:32 am
@THE MAULER(THE MAULER)-96: i think the latter is more true
16 Mar 2012, 10:33 am
Also, my fantasy team is cluttered with Chiefs.
16 Mar 2012, 10:33 am
@Papoose(papaown)-92:
You could put it that way
But it was exciting because no one expected the Brumbies to keep so close, they did that by making it a forward orientated game and throwing their bodies around at ruck & tackle points, legally though.
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