Damian McKenzie yesterday put the All Blacks on notice by sparking the Chiefs to a 43-17 Super Rugby thrashing of the Sunwolves in only his second game back from serious injury.
The twinkle-toed utility back, who missed out on last year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament, capped a superb performance with 11 points in Tokyo for Warren Gatland’s unbeaten side.
The Sunwolves, who began their farewell season with a 36-27 upset of the Melbourne Rebels two weeks ago, caught the visitors napping after just six minutes when flyhalf Garth April wriggled over to open the scoring.
Photo: AFP
However, the Chiefs, champions in 2012 and 2013, struck back with a quickfire double, McKenzie releasing Solomon Alaimalo to touch down in the corner before Shaun Stevenson capped a great move to score on the opposite wing.
After a lineout set-play allowed Chiefs captain Brad Weber to smash his way through on 24 minutes, McKenzie pinballed off two tackles to tee up Alaimalo, who crossed the try line, but handed the ball back to McKenzie to ground as a reward for his industry.
Sunwolves hooker Jaba Bregvadze bowled over on the halftime buzzer to reduce the deficit at the break to 24-12, but flanker Lachlan Boshier raced through to add a fifth try for the Chiefs soon after the restart.
Photo: AFP
Shogo Nakano pulled one back with seven minutes left, only for the New Zealand-based side to hit back with two late scores from Quinn Tupaea and Kaleb Trask.
“If you don’t turn up with the right attitude any team can beat you,” Weber said, referring to last season’s humiliating home defeat by the Sunwolves. “We found that out the hard way, that [result] was a massive driver for us today.”
McKenzie slotted three of five conversions in blustery conditions.
Photo: AFP
Elsewhere, the Otago Highlanders converted a last-gasp try to stun the ACT Brumbies.
A Folau Fainga’a hat-trick was not enough for the Brumbies, with Teariki Ben-Nicholas scoring a try after the full-time buzzer and Josh Ioane converting to ensure the Highlanders won 23-22, ending a 10-match winning streak at home for the Canberra club.
The Dunedin-based Highlanders were desperate for victory after crashing 42-20 to the Sharks in their season opener and they delivered for skipper James Lentjes.
“Absolutely proud of the boys. It came down to the wire and we showed composure to get over the line. It’s an awesome feeling,” Lentjes said.
“They had won 10 in a row here, so to get points, we’re bloody happy,” he said.
The Highlanders exerted early pressure and Ioane put them ahead with a penalty, but it was Fainga’a who crossed for the opening try after a rolling maul.
The Highlanders soaked up pressure, but the Brumbies’ maul did more damage and Fainga’a bagged his second before the New Zealand-based side bounced back with Jona Nareki charging down a clearance kick from the restart for their first five-pointer.
A penalty put them 13-12 ahead at the halftime break.
Fainga’a struck again with 12 minutes left and Ryan Lonergan’s conversion looked enough for victory, but as they attempted to run down the clock, the home side gave away a penalty and paid a heavy price with Ben-Nicholas’ winning try.
In Wellington, the Hurricanes brought the Coastal Sharks’ winning run to a halt.
The two sides were locked 17-all at halftime before a Ben Lam double put the momentum firmly with the Hurricanes, who won 38-22.
The Sharks produced the first try with an 80m move that started with an intercept by skipper Lukhayo Am and was finished by Madosh Tambwe.
In a flurry of scoring, Wes Goosen crossed for the Hurricanes first, the Sharks responded with a long-range try to replacement flyhalf Sanele Nohamba before a Jordie Barrett cross-kick put Ngani Laumape on a 50m run to the line.
They turned level at 17-all and the Hurricanes opened up a dominant lead with Lam’s twin long-range strikes.
Dane Coles scored from a lineout drive to put the Hurricanes ahead 38-17 with the Sharks getting a late consolation try to Mzamo Majola.
“We did score some really good tries — the likes of Lam, Nans [Laumape] they did their thing — but the three tries we let in we will be disappointed with,” Hurricanes captain T.J. Perenara said.
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