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.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
The Kashima Antlers won a record-extending ninth Japanese title on the final day of the J. League season yesterday, holding their nerve to beat the Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1. Watched by Brazilian legend and former player Zico, the Antlers went into the game at their packed home stadium with a one-point lead over Kashiwa Reysol in the table. A goal in either half from Brazilian striker Leo Ceara put the Antlers in control, but Yokohama struck in the first of five minutes of second-half injury time to set up a nail-biting finale, with Reysol winning their game 1-0. The Antlers saw out the
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
RSS