Chiefs 33

Hurricanes 17

The unbeaten Chiefs have charged back to the top of the Super Rugby standings with a defensive dominance to suggest they may be there to stay.

Visiting a high-flying Hurricanes side who have scored the most tries in the competition, and further increasing the degree of difficulty with wayward discipline, the Chiefs earned their seventh win in as many games to confirm their title credentials.

They overhauled a halftime deficit by scoring 25 unanswered points while shutting out their opponents in the second spell. And they overcame a slew of penalties — including a couple of yellow cards — to successfully defend their line during one pivotal late stretch.

The Hurricanes, coming off four straight victories, lacked accuracy throughout and had no excuse for some costly errors, unable to capitalise on sunny conditions after the kick-off had been brought forward owing to floodlight upgrades at Sky Stadium.

A strong crowd responded to a rare chance for afternoon Super Rugby, and the opening exchanges suggested they would be rewarded with a free-flowing shootout. But the hosts’ handling and the Chiefs’ penalty count combined to prevent that possibility.

Instead, it was an encounter in which physicality came to the fore, initially from the Hurricanes, before the visitors muscled up at both ends after the break.

“It’s not easy to win down here, and the Hurricanes have had a hell of a start,” Chiefs co-captain Brad Weber told Sky Sport. “They’ve played some great footy to start the season, so we knew it was going to be an arm wrestle — we just had to stay in it.

“We were a little bit slow out of the blocks, but we just stuck to what’s worked all season. I told the boys just to trust it and it would all start coming, and sure enough, it did.

“The Hurricanes’ attacking prowess in that first half was bloody tough to stop, so I’m pretty happy with that second 40.”

There were indeed early signs of rust as the Chiefs struggled for continuity coming off the bye, unable to establish the type of control that had helped them triumph in three New Zealand derbies before their Easter break.

They did start on the front foot and found a ninth-minute lead when Daniel Rona finished off a good grubber in the right corner from a quick-thinking Etene Nanai-Seturo. But from that point, the Chiefs were scuppered whenever they worked their way into a promising position, whether by a determined Hurricanes defence or their own poor discipline.

The visitors conceded penalties at the wrong time throughout the first half, granting the Hurricanes extra opportunities while curtailing several of their own. The home side, conversely, were effective at the breakdown and snagged a few opportune turnovers, frustrating an opposition enjoying more of the ball.

The Hurricanes hit the lead through Devan Flanders and Cam Roigard, the halfback sneaking through a hole to continue an excellent campaign with his sixth try. But their attempts to pull further clear were hampered by their handling, and they were eventually made to pay for that profligacy.

Pita Gus Sowakula set a bruising tone with an unstoppable bust shortly after the break, carrying a couple of tacklers to the line. And the Chiefs’ bench made its impact felt to wrestle away ascendancy, with halfback Cortez Ratima almost matching Sowakula’s leg drive to force his way over for a third try.

Needing to score twice, the Hurricanes finally built the requisite pressure with 15 minutes to play, as the Chiefs’ discipline issues returned at the worst time. But with their backs to the line for a gruelling and decisive spell, and with Bryn Gatland shown yellow for accidental head contact, the visitors blunted an attack devoid of imagination.

The Hurricanes eventually made a mess of a lineout to essentially seal their fate, with the Chiefs quickly offering a clinical lesson by marching down the field and finding a fourth through Damian McKenzie.

They ended on an appropriately ill-disciplined note, as Naitoa Ah Kuoi was sent to the sin bin, and Weber knew his side would need to improve ahead of any playoff rematch.

“We know that what we did here today is not going to be good enough in a couple of months,” he said. “So we’ve got to keep growing and getting better.”

Chiefs 33 (Daniel Rona, Pita Gus Sowakula, Cortez Ratima, Damian McKenzie tries; McKenzie 3 pens, 2 cons)

Hurricanes 17 (Devan Flanders, Cam Roigard tries; Jordie Barrett 2 cons, pen)

Halftime: 17-8