Rugby: Chiefs run rampant over Stormers

Aaron Cruden and Damian McKenzie attempt to break up possession against the Stormers. Photo / Getty

Stormers 18
Chiefs 29

The Chiefs told the Stormers exactly how they intended to beat the table-toppers - and this morning they carried out their plan to perfection.

Speed was the weapon of choice as the Chiefs gunned down the Super Rugby leaders, running in three tries in Cape Town to bounce back in style from last weekend's loss to the Highlanders.

Such is the potency of a fully-firing Chiefs backline, Dave Rennie felt he was giving away nothing by revealing during the week that an injection of pace was the reasoning behind his revamped backline.

Four changes were made after last week's impotent attacking effort, with the strategy to exploit the Stormers with gas, avoid too much time engaging around the edges and strike with swiftness at every opportunity. And it worked.

The Chiefs demonstrated early and often their willingness to chance their arm from anywhere on the park. They initially ran into a Stormers' defensive line quick to get in their opponents' faces and just as keen to hit them hard, keeping to a minimum any chances.

But the Chiefs soon found a way around that line - literally. Almost every positive attack saw a player tip toe down the sideline, avoiding the smothering defence and making the most of every inch available.

"We're pretty stoked," Rennie said. "The first 20 wasn't that flash - it was a bit manic and we were a bit inaccurate. But the last 55 minutes was pretty impressive.

"We were able to grab momentum, we were a little bit more direct and found a bit of space around them. We were pretty happy."

That space was a direct result of superior speed, but it was an advantage far from confined to the ball carrier. It was the pace of the support play where the Chiefs truly made their gains, with quick hands, wrap-arounds and offloads offering a multitude of threats.

Aaron Cruden was superb in marshalling it all, enjoying his best outing of the season. He scored his side's opening try with a raid down the right touchline, showing time and again a knack for popping up in the right place at the right time.

Equally importantly after missing three penalties in last week's three-point loss, Cruden was much better with the boot, nailing his opening five attempts to keep the Chiefs in touch after Kobus van Wyk grabbed the game's first try.

James Lowe was a constant menace in racking up 124 metres and scoring the Chiefs' second along the left sideline, but that contribution was outdone by Tim Nanai-Williams. The centre, a new addition to the starting XV, justified his inclusion with 143 metres, seven defenders beaten and an integral role in Sam Cane's late try in the left corner.

Making the Chiefs excellent attack even more impressive was the fact they were working without a steady scrum base. The set piece was awful in the first half, suffering tightheads, ceding penalties and, to be blunt, getting absolutely hammered by a powerful Stormers pack.

But Jamie Mackintosh replaced Pauliasi Manu at halftime in a bid to stem the bleeding and the Chiefs held their own at scrum time in the second spell, even winning a pair of penalties.

It barely mattered. Not with the backs running as rampant as they were. It was some turnaround in seven days and provided the perfect start to the Chiefs' South African jaunt ahead of next weekend's encounter with the Sharks.

"It was obviously challenging to play at Newlands," Rennie said. "There was an amazing amount of intensity in the game, a pretty hostile crowd and incredibly hot conditions. It was a hell of an effort in the end."

Stormers 18 (van Wyk try; Coleman 3 pens, con, Catrakilis pen)
Chiefs 29 (Cruden, Lowe, Cane tries; Cruden 3 pens, 2 cons)
HT: 16-13