Scrumhalf Brad Weber yesterday scored a try in each half to help the Waikato Chiefs to a 39-15 win over the NSW Waratahs to advance to the Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals, while the Blues crushed the Highlanders.
Weber scored a magnificent opening try in the sixth minute to begin a dominant performance by the Chiefs, who led 27-10 at halftime.
He completed his double in the 64th minute, reviving the Chiefs as they were in the middle of a scoring lull.
Photo: AFP
Backrower Luke Jacobson and center Alex Nankivell also scored in the first half, while No. 8 Pita-Gus Sowakula added to Weber’s second try to complete a five-tries-to-two win.
The Chiefs now face the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch in next weekend’s semi-finals. The Crusaders beat the Queensland Reds 37-15 on Friday.
The other two semi-finalists were determined when Blues beat the eighth-placed Highlanders in Auckland and the fourth-placed ACT Brumbies beat the fifth-placed Wellington Hurricanes 35-25 in Canberra.
The top-ranked Blues shook off a sluggish start to beat the Highlanders 35-6 and ensure a home semi-final, with the Brumbies to travel.
The Blues were barely able to get out of their own half in the first 20 minutes and took 31 minutes to score the first try of their quarterfinal match.
“What an awesome challenge, playing the defending champions at home,” Weber said. “We’ve beaten them once down there this season, so let’s make it two. It’s incredibly satisfying to win a home quarter-final. We haven’t had one here in my experience and I’ve been here 10 years, 110 games now.”
The Chiefs were outstanding in the physical aspects of yesterday’s game. They carried the ball powerfully, crashing into tackles and flooding the breakdown area, allowing them to quickly recycle possession.
The Waratahs lead the tournament in forcing turnovers, mostly through the work of flankers Michael Hooper and Charlie Gamble, but they were overshadowed yesterday by the Chiefs dominance at the tackle area.
The Chiefs also were physical in defense. Their crunching tackles often forced the Waratahs back behind the gain line.
While the Chiefs were clinical in attack, the Waratahs made too many errors in attacking positions.
“The Chiefs are a classy outfit and they’ve had the wood on us all year,” Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said. “They’re just really hard to contain when they get that front-foot ball and in turnover attack they’re exceptional.”
Weber’s opening try was a superb example from a set piece. The Chiefs deliberately over-threw an attacking lineout; the ball went to flyhalf Bryn Gatland who handed off a short pass to Weber and he ran through a massive hole in the Waratahs’ defense to score under the posts.
The Waratahs hit back immediately with a try to winger Dylan Pietsch, who ran onto a grubber kick from fullback Ben Donaldson, but the Chiefs touched down twice more before halftime, through Jacobson who drove through a rolling maul from a lineout and Nankivell, who capitalized on a loose pass from Waratahs’ flyhalf Tane Edmed.
The Waratahs began the second half with a try that swept almost the length of the field. They won a turnover close to their goal line, Hooper broke out and passed to backrower Will Harris who carried the ball 70m to score.
The Chiefs took 24 minutes to score their first try of the second half through Weber and Sowakula completed an emphatic win.
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