The Chiefs gave their fans plenty of anxious moments at Waikato Stadium tonight before they finally prevailed 21-19 over a gallant Highlanders side.
It took a piece of improvised magic from Aaron Cruden to set up a try to Charlie Ngatai that leveled the scores at 19-19 before the littlemaestro stepped up and converted from the touchline to win it for the defending champions.
The win puts the Chiefs on top of the New Zealand Conference with two wins from the opening two rounds.
The Highlanders dominated the first half playing into the wind to lead 16-7 at the break. Their set piece dominated the Chiefs, with Bay of Plenty loosehead prop Kane Hames to the fore.
But inspired by co-captain Liam Messam's try, the Chiefs looked the stronger team in the second stanza but took most of the half to finally get up over the Highlanders.
