Rugby: Chiefs secure home semi

Kevin O'Neil charges the ball in to the Brumbies defence at Waikato Stadium tonight. Photo / Getty Images.

The Chiefs secured themselves a rugby Super 14 home semifinal with a bruising 10-7 arm-wrestle win over the ACT Brumbies at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium tonight.

The victory, which came after the scores were tied 7-7 at halftime, means the Chiefs have reached the playoffs for just the second time in their history.

A huge defensive effort from the Brumbies kept the Chiefs out in a second half largely dominated by the New Zealand team, with just a Stephen Donald penalty late in the spell the difference.

Both teams started cautiously, the Chiefs making the early running despite the late loss before the game of All Blacks centre Richard Kahui because of a bruised calf from last week's win over the Hurricanes.

Replacement Dwayne Sweeney, up against the vastly experienced Stirling Mortlock, was solid but saw little play early on as both teams kept the ball tight.

Both sides missed kickable penalty chances midway through the half, but Brumbies wing Francis Fainifo finally opened the scoring after 33 minutes when he made the most of some lazy defence from Chiefs winger Lelia Masaga.

Brumbies fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper fended off Sweeney, and weighted his kick for the line beautifully, leaving Masaga dithering as a fast-closing Fainifo dived for the ball to dot down.

Masaga redeemed himself barely two minutes later, latching on to a Muliaina pass and setting up tidy second phase play just metres out from the line for Donald to dive over.

He converted to level the scores 7-7 at halftime.

There were problems for the Chiefs - their lineout again looked messy, the Brumbies taking three chances against the throw, and ball retention proved a constant problem.

They also struggled to provide a consistent set-piece platform at scrumtime, although both teams tried referee Stuart Dickinson's patience as reset followed reset, particularly in the first half.

The Brumbies' defence was superb, led as always by the inspirational Mortlock, who continued the rich vein of form which saw him central to the Brumbies second-half revival in their 37-15 win over the Blues last Saturday in Canberra.

Brendon Leonard's return after a chest injury proved a huge boost for the Chiefs, with his work around the scrum and at the breakdown galvanising the backline.

The Chiefs lost loosehead prop Ben May to a bad knee injury early in the second half, replacement Sona Taumalolo bringing his usual fire to the game. But as the rain returned, the game closed down as both teams battled for field position.

A Donald penalty bounced off the upright as the hour mark closed, and the Chiefs hammered away at the Brumbies line to no avail. Callum Bruce came the closest, losing the ball in a dive for the line after he collected a Leonard charge down just inside the 22.

The Chiefs were finally rewarded with just over 10 minutes to go when Huia Edmonds was yellow-carded for infringing at the ruck, and Donald gave a little breathing room in slotting the penalty.

As the clock wound down, the Brumbies finally got their hands on some ball, and forced a penalty on halfway. However, first five-eighth Matt Toomua's kick for the line proved disastrous as he missed touch and the Chiefs celebrated a hard-earned win.

Chiefs captain Muliaina told SkySport afterwards that the win had been a real grind.

"We're absolutely delighted - it was pretty tough out there, it wasn't a spectacle but this is what we wanted to achieve," he said. "A win's a win, we're into that top four now, so what more can you ask for?"

Brumbies captain No 8 Stephen Hoiles said his team hadn't been able to play with enough possession or territory in the second half.

"While we were brave, we probably coughed up too much pill. To take one point out of it probably won't be enough. It leaves us in the top four at the moment, but we need a few unlikely results to go our way."

- NZPA