Rugby: Backs able to produce brilliance thanks to power pack's drive

With all those flashing blades making rapier thrusts in the Chiefs backline, it's easily forgotten there are some useful blunt instruments in front doing a rather splendid job.

On the eve of their South African leg of the campaign, it is not the dazzling feet of Dwayne Sweeney or the probing darts of Brendon Leonard fuelling the confidence in the Chiefs camp.

It is the massive strides that have been made by their front five. Horrid in Sydney in week two, the Chiefs' front five have become a unit of some ability in recent weeks.

"Tonight was a further step in our set-piece work," said Chiefs coach Ian Foster. "I thought it was a really big effort by our scrum and I thought Toby Lynn had a real solid second half, having only found out he was going to play earlier today."

The lineout was a bit wobbly in the first half and some of the handling was inaccurate but other than that, the Chiefs pack fronted again.

And that is what they have been doing for the past five weeks. Ben May has suddenly shown himself to be a propping prospect worth keeping an eye on. Aled de Malmanche has an enthusiasm in the loose that few match and Craig Clarke is one of those quiet locks who prefers to keep his head down and backside up.

Collectively this is a unit with barely five minutes' experience, yet they are playing like men who have seen years of action.

Don't underestimate the power of the Lions. They are a big, well-drilled side. They had to be contained. The Chiefs had to douse the fires at the collision point and set piece.

They scrummed the Lions off the park and still had gas in the tank to run free in the final 10 minutes.

"I guess it's a good time to reflect," said Foster. "We have built some nice momentum and shown different sides to our game. We showed tenacity to beat the Highlanders and then we had a couple of games where we got off to good early starts. Tonight, we showed a lot of character."

The Chiefs are now well-placed to make a big push in the final weeks. But they, of course, have been here before.

They must head to South Africa and try to retain their momentum. That is never easy. Maybe, though, they finally have the side to get results in the Republic.

What pleased Foster most about the win against the Lions was the way his side stayed composed.

"It was obvious the side was being well led. There was a sense of calmness and no one panicked. We showed a lot of composure."

Just how much character the Chiefs have will become better known in the next few weeks. It's one thing to come back from the dead on your home patch - another to do it in Pretoria.

Even the Cheetahs on their turf can't be taken lightly and then there are the hot and cold Stormers.

The Chiefs need points from this campaign. They have to stay within striking distance, knowing that they have two home games to finish the round-robin.

But just as important as points is the need to maintain confidence and rhythm. When this side play, they really play.

For 15 minutes, they were electric against the Lions. For 15 minutes, they looked the side to beat. Even the Sharks would have been looking at their shoes wondering what to do when facing so much pace and power.

The answer is you try to disrupt the Chiefs up front - but that is looking increasingly difficult to do.