The Waikato Chiefs' superior fitness saw them snatch a late 22-20 victory over the Central Cheetahs in a cliffhanger Super 14 rugby match yesterday.
The Chiefs scored three tries to two but it was the erratic boot of flyhalf Stephen Donald that made the telling difference.
As the Chiefs clawed their way back from a 0-17 deficit at halftime, points went begging as Donald missed two close-range penalties and a conversion.
PHOTO: REUTERS
But four minutes from time he made no mistake with a penalty from the sideline that put the Chiefs in front for the first time in the match.
Mils Muliaina, leading the Chiefs in the absence of the injured Jono Gibbes, said his side knew if they were patient the result would come.
"The boys gutsed it out," Muliaina said. "We felt going into halftime that if we built some more pressure and scored first, it could go a long way towards getting a result tonight."
It was the Chiefs' second win from four matches, although they are yet to score a bonus point, which may prove costly at the business end of the competition.
The Cheetahs, meanwhile, remain without a win but have four points from earning a bonus in every game.
They scored first against the Chiefs and throughout the first half looked as if they were going to pull off their first victory of the season.
With their heavier pack dominating up front and flyhalf Conrad Barnard keen to keep his outsides moving, it was only a matter of time before Eddie Fredericks crossed in the corner.
When the Chiefs were down to 14 men after Sitiveni Sivivatu was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle on J.W. Jonker, Jongi Nokwe scored the Cheetahs second try finishing off a 60m counter attack with turnover ball.
Barnard again converted and landed a penalty to give the Cheetahs a sizeable buffer at the turn.
But the pace of the game had taken its toll on the visitors, allowing the Chiefs to build confidence especially in close, where powerful flanker Faifili Levave and halfback Brendon Leonard were a constant threat.
Leonard scored almost immediately after the resumption with Australian referee Paul Marks awarding the try even though the television match official could not see the ball grounded.
Sivivatu made amends for his earlier indiscretion when he capped off a move that featured a 30m burst by hooker Tom Willis.
Barnard's third penalty, the Cheetahs sole points in the second half, gave the South African side a 20-14 lead before Chiefs center Callum Bruce narrowed the gap to one point with a try.
Donald missed the conversion but ensured the win with a penalty when Fredericks was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on replacement wing Lelia Masaga.
The Chiefs are at home next week against the Stormers, while the Cheetahs face the Crusaders.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS