The Chiefs simply found a way to grind ahead. They had few genuine attacking opportunities in the first half but made one count, getting Robbie Robinson across in the ninth minute. The movement was dominated by Aaron Cruden, who continues to look more comfortable dictating play this season, not to mention his fine kicking boot.
The overarching memory was the sight of the Chiefs' shaved heads regularly looking like pool balls that had just been broken as they ran the Waratahs ragged towards the end of the night.
Robinson, Tim Nanai-Williams and Sonny Bill Williams had strong games with the ball in hand but the team lacked an ability to finish in the first 40 minutes. Still, the Waratahs needed to be wary, notably when the enormous mitt of Williams emerges unexpectedly from the midst of seemingly unshakeable tackles.
Likewise Tawera Kerr-Barlow showed he is handling the halfback pressure well, even when his team wasn't always creating front foot ball. Such composure will have further cemented his All Blacks prospects. His passing remained snappy and his elusiveness kept the Waratahs honest around the fringes.
The match was the 50th for Richard Kahui in a Chiefs jersey. He had a relatively quiet night but his pre-match peanut butter scone seemed to kick in two minutes into the second half. Williams, someone who is always better with his hands rather than his feet near a footy, grubbered into a Waratahs player. Kahui seized a fortunate bounce, dashed through a gap and fed prop Sona Taumalolo out wide for his fourth try of the season. He could also quite possibly be the only prop to take the field in the history of the sport in pink boots.
The Chiefs could count themselves fortunate to be ahead 13-10 at the break. The Waratahs had the better of the early exchanges using a combination of bruising runners, rumbling tight forwards and domination of the set piece to quickly remind the hosts their week's rest had ceased.
Tom Kingston's early try was deserved as he jinked past a patch of lazy Chiefs defence. It was a theme throughout the first half for the Chiefs who tended to target the Waratahs' chests in the tackle. It paid dividends on several occasions by dislodging the ball but also rebounded when ineffectual tacklers were pinged off.
Berrick Barnes looked composed at first-five for the visitors. He directed his runners well and his tactical kicking tends to be pinpoint accurate. However, the value of lateral kicks to switch play quickly across field is questionable. Yes, it proves he can put the ball on a 10 cent piece for his wings (or, in one case, Benn Robinson) but it didn't create any territorial advantage because the catchers were often stationary and lined up early by the opposition defence. It struck as a high risk, limited reward strategy.
Sam Cane made an impact coming on in the final quarter for Tanerau Latimer. He snared a loose ball from a Waratahs scrum in the 68th minute, fed Kerr-Barlow and it saw Messam score to guarantee the result.
Chiefs 30 (R. Robinson, S. Taumalolo, L. Messam tries, A. Cruden 3 con, 3 pen) Waratahs 13 (T. Kingston try, B. McKibbin con, 2 pen) Halftime: Chiefs 13-10.
