Chiefs 36
Lions 29
The Chiefs produced a storming final 20 minutes against the Lions to snatch a 36-29 win and notch their fifth straight Super 14 rugby victory on the trot in Hamilton tonight.
Trailing 10-22 at halftime, the Chiefs were staring defeat in the face when their opponents scored another try after the breather to lead 29-10.
But as the Lions tired, the Chiefs began to infuse a bit more passion and energy into their game to rack-up 26 unanswered points with a quarter of the match left on the clock.
The Lions made a mockery of their 13th placing in the standings when they scored three times in the first half, twice through centre Jacque Fourie who easily found gaps in the Chiefs' defence after halfback Jano Vermaak had opened the scoring with a try in the first five minutes.
The Chiefs had answered Vermaak's try with a penalty from Stephen Donald and then a brilliant 40m solo effort by winger Dwayne Sweeney put them in the lead.
But some loose defending saw Fourie snatch his third and fourth tries in two weeks. Pretorius added a dropped goal to swell the Lions points haul.
The Chiefs, playing without inspirational winger Sitiveni Sivivatu, who sat out the match because of a shoulder injury, lost another key player when winger Leilia Masaga left the field early in the second half with an injury to his left knee.
Even though the Lions were down to 14 players after No 8 Ernst Joubert was sinbinned for persistent interference in the rucks, they sneaked another try, this time through an intercept by substitute back Earl Rose.
But with halfback Brendon Leonard providing the spark, No 8 Sione Lauaki the muscle, and Donald, Callum Bruce and Richard Kahui the attacking play in midfield, the Chiefs regained control of the game with 20 minutes to go.
Sweeney, standing in for Sivivatu, scored twice more for a well-deserved hattrick, while substitutes Jackson Willison who replaced Masaga and Hikawera Elliott who came on for Aled de Malmanche at hooker, got the other two tries.
The result saw the Chiefs go to the top of the table with a couple of games in the round still to come.
"The Lions really got stuck into us in the first half but I'm proud of my boys for the way they came back from 15 odd points," Chiefs skipper Mils Muliaina said.
" We were very disapointed in the first half. We tried to force the 50-50 ball and they didn't come off; we spilt some ball and it put pressure on us.
"(But) we really believed we could win it and we did that."
The Chiefs now sit out a bye next week before heading to South Africa where the Cheetahs, Bulls and Stormers lie in wait for the following three rounds.
- NZPA
