Chiefs 63 Blues 34
When a game like this comes along and deviates so markedly from the script, it's tricky to know where to begin.
This was Harry Potter stuff - the best from Hogwarts coming up with an eclectic mix of ingredients that saw the Chiefs unforgettably explode.
Pity the poor bloke who
had to scrape the remains of the Blues off Waikato Stadium.
They went boom all right, blown to smithereens by a Chiefs team that might legitimately wonder whether the good luck they are due from years of underpayment, was awarded to them last night in a lump sum.
By the final quarter it was impossible to wonder whether the Blues were taking the game seriously.
Liam Messam ran almost half the length of the field with a phalanx of Blues defenders chasing him with little conviction.
Brendon Leonard skipped past four defenders only minutes earlier and allowed Lelia Masaga to saunter off his wing and put the Chiefs out of sight at 42-15.
It was a feeble defensive effort by the Blues, highlighted by the territory and possession stats that show the visitors were in control. They had the pill for long enough, they had it in the right parts of the field and they scored five tries.
If you are going to defend like the crew of the Mary Celeste, however, you tend to disappear without a trace. There is no point in scoring five tries if you are quite happy to let the opposition score nine.
There was clearly a malfunction in the drift defence. The Chiefs went left and the Chiefs scored. It was pretty much that simple.
Well, Sitiveni Sivivatu made it look that simple. He was the undisputed star of the show and had a hat-trick within 25 minutes and poor old Rene Ranger in need of a psychiatrist's coach.
It ended up being a four-try haul for the All Black wing and he walked off Waikato Stadium as the leading try scorer in Chiefs history.
At 35-8 down after half an hour, the whole Blues side was in need of counselling. They came to Hamilton as slight favourites, certain they were ready for a mid-season surge.
That was until their lineout collapsed at crucial times. That was until they didn't fancy getting under the high ball. That was until they were too easily counter-rucked at the breakdown.
There's no doubt the Chiefs hummed along nicely; that Sivivatu tapped into that well of magic he possesses but only rarely reaches for; that Leonard snapped away and Sione Lauaki played with a point to prove.
It was the performance the Chiefs were after. But even they will have been surprised at the generosity of the Blues. The Chiefs looked as good as they did because they were allowed to look good.
They will take that, though. This is a competition about momentum and confidence and they will have built plenty on last night's performance.
Once they had the security they were after, there was real flair and certainty in the way they moved the ball. They were looking for the space, looking for the support runners and they were always on hand.
The most impressive part of this Chiefs' effort was that their energy and conviction didn't fade once they had the game won.
That's the beauty of playing your fiercest rival and having them all sliced up like a kebab.
The Chiefs played as if they knew a night like this may never come along again. A night where they scored 60 points against a side that is fancied to make the play-offs or at least go close. Everyone is going to have to rethink that assessment now. The Chiefs are maybe New Zealand's best hope.
If Lauaki can stay fired up. If Sivivatu can manage even half last night's form in future rounds and the rest of the side play with the flair, commitment and imagination that they showed in prolonged periods - then it is fair to be confident in the Chiefs.
To share the same confidence in the Blues isn't so easy, despite the fact they scored five tries.
Teams that leak 63 points can't be taken all that seriously, especially when they suffered a similar loss against the Bulls in round two.
Chiefs 63 (S. Sivivatu 4, R. Kahui, B. Leonard, L. Masaga, L. Messam, C. Bruce tries; S. Donald 8 cons; M. Delany con)
Blues 34 (I. Toeava, J. Rokocoko (2), A. Tuitavake, J. Helleur tries; J. Gopperth 4 cons, 2 pens).
