Chiefs hold out game Cheetahs

Jamie Nutbrown is tackled by the Cheetah's Ryno Van Der Merwe. Phil Walter / Getty Images

Chiefs 33 Cheetahs 32

The Chiefs grimly held out a never-say-die Cheetahs outfit 33-32 in Hamilton tonight to keep their slender Super 14 rugby playoff hopes alive.

What started out as a razzle-dazzle affair evolved into a tension-filled contest late in the second spell as the tenacious South African visitors refused to lie down.

The Chiefs scored five tries to four and deserved to win after leading all the way but will need to remove the recurring errors that dogged them in the second half if they are to challenge better teams in their run to home.

They began in style, racing to a 21-3 lead within 15 minutes and bagging a bonus point before halftime when winger Sitiveni Sivivatu dived over for his second try.

But even then they only led 26-17 as the Cheetahs made the most of limited possession through good opportunism.

The scoring tapered off in the second half, with both teams giving away more penalties and appearing weary from the frantic pace of the first spell.

Chiefs first five-eighth Stephen Donald was a pivotal figure, mixing basic mistakes with some incisive running.

He stormed over for the first try in just the third minute after some crisp passing and running from his backline.

Sivivatu was over 2min later, capitalising on a loose ball jarred free by a huge tackle from teammate Sam Tuitupou on Cheetahs winger Giscard Pieters.

Cheetahs first five-eighth Willem de Waal kicked a penalty and a try to begin his 17-point haul, but No 8 Liam Messam put his side further ahead with a try.

Prop Ollie le Roux revived the visitors' hopes again with a simple driving try after the break before Chiefs lock Sean Hohneck restored the breathing space after 55 minutes.

De Waal kicked a penalty and Pieters scored a try to give the hosts the jitters over the final 10min although the Cheetahs never came close to scoring in that period.

The result sees the Chiefs remain firmly among the logjam of teams knocking at the door of the semifinals. They are one point behind the fourth-placed ACT Brumbies, who were to play tomorrow.

Chiefs Captain Jono Gibbes was ruled out of tonight's late with an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by Bernie Upton at lock, while Marty Holah wore the skipper's armband.

Holah said his side had become used to playing in close finishes this year but wished it hadn't come down to it tonight.

"All I can say is we make it tough for ourselves," he said.

"We can't keep screwing it up and making mistakes, that's what we did all through the second half.

"You couldn't ask for a better start than that, the South African boys might have been thinking of home a little bit too much but they came back pretty well. When they had the ball they were pretty hard to stop.

"Maybe we got a little bit carried away and tried to push a few passes that shouldn't have been pushed."

The Cheetahs, who conceded only one penalty all night, took two bonus points from the game and gave captain Ryno van der Merwe reason for cheer.

"We were a bit shell-shocked in those first 15 minutes but I was proud of the way the boys came back in the second half," he said.

"We let in some soft tries and we had to work hard for our tries. I'm still very disappointed with the loss.

"I think most of the guys have learned a lot on this tour. We've got three home games now and we're looking for 12 points at least."

Chiefs 33 (Sitiveni Sivivatu 2, Stephen Donald, Liam Messam, Sean Hohneck tries; Donald 4 con)
Cheetahs 32 (Ronnie Cooke, Willem de Waal, Ollie le Roux, Giscard Pieters tries; de Waal 2 pen, 3 con).
HT: Chiefs 26-17.

- NZPA