Chiefs 38
Rebels 10
It was never going to matter how it was achieved, victory was the only goal for the Chiefs last night. They simply couldn't lose another in Hamilton and certainly not to the Rebels.
It was bad enough the Cheetahs managed a draw at Waikato Stadium last year, but to have
gone down to the Rebels, the team no one rates, would have had the Chiefs in awful territory - the sort of despair where they would have had to lock themselves in a dark room and cried. And cried.
Not since May 22, 2009 had the Chiefs actually won in Hamilton - an appalling state of affairs.
If the Chiefs had failed to stop the rot at their first attempt this year, how much psychological damage would that have inflicted?
They might as well have packed up and headed to Tauranga, or Rotorua - anywhere else to play their home games and written off Hamilton as cursed.
But they nailed it easily enough after a slow start. It wasn't quite razzle-dazzle, the rugby never quite flowed, but there was enough there to make sure it was comfortable.
They were always in control and were probably good for their bonus point, secured by a 90m breakout inspired by a burst of speed from the impressive Tana Umaga and finished by the flying Lelia Masaga, who slid in for what felt like miles to get the touchdown.
The relentless rain hardly made the task easier, and nor did the Chiefs' continual errors. There was good football in patches but a clinical edge was regularly missing.
It took a try by Sitiveni Sivivatu just before halftime to finally settle fraying nerves. It was a score the Fijian deserved, as he'd been one of the more enterprising and potent threats.
He doesn't appear to have spent the summer doing much in the way of hard yards and looks to be carrying extra weight. He wasn't particularly sharp, yet still managed to meander for good yards and get his team going forward.
His input was vital as captain Mils Muliaina had to limp off after 10 minutes. The All Black fullback took a heavy blow to his lower back after claiming a high ball and was in obvious discomfort.
The Chiefs needed a senior voice and some certainty in their counter-attack because the Rebels were happy to kick long and chase.
There also wasn't much tactical assurance from Stephen Donald at first five. He couldn't move the Rebels around and it made little sense to continually kick down the throat of a class act like Mark Gerrard.
The former Wallaby, despite missing a key tackle on Masaga that led to the Chiefs' second try, mopped up every loose ball and belted it back into the right place.
So far this season, coach Ian Foster has given both Donald and Mike Delany plenty of game-time. Neither has been able to deliver a commanding performance as yet, and while Donald was unconvincing, maybe he deserves to have judgement delayed until he's been given a chance to play his way into form.
The value that comes with selection consistency could be seen in the performance of Donald's opposite, Danny Cipriani. Unwanted in game one until an injury brought him to the fore, he was composed in his second outing and took further steps last night.
Cipriani is a talent for sure. He has time on the ball and plays with his head up. Unfortunately, he's a product of his upbringing, too readily using the boot to no great effect. If in doubt, nudge it 30 metres into touch along the ground was the Cipriani default option.
That rendered the Rebels a limp attacking force and the Chiefs will know they will face much tougher opponents. And when they do, the lineout has to be more accurate.
Aled de Malmanche, rugged and direct with ball in hand, was painful to watch on the touchline. Hika Elliot will surely now be given the chance to cement the starting berth and build the effectiveness of both the lineout and scrum.
Some thought, too, will be given to accommodating Tim Nanai-Williams. He is a competent and exciting footballer who beats men with a quality of step not seen since Christian Cullen was around.
Chiefs 38
(L. Masaga 2, S. Sivivatu, S. Taumalolo tries; S. Donald 4 pens, 3 cons)
Rebels 10
(G. Delve try; D. Cipriani con, pen)
HT: 16-3
