Chiefs 16 Hurricanes 8
Reasons to believe in the Chiefs now far outweigh the reasons not to.
The country's greatest underachievers, the team with the biggest hard luck story in the game are now, quite definitely, the Super 14 favourites.
They might not like the tag. They would prefer to enter the playoffs as underdogs but having last night beaten the No 1 side to climb to the top of the ladder last night leading into the final week of section play, they have to accept the expectation sits with them.
Their victory was not built on the same foundation as those achieved in earlier rounds. The flair, the breath-taking pace and execution wasn't on view. What we got was a dog-fight; a battle of courage; a battle of wills where the game was decided on the smallest margins.
Had David Smith clung on to a pass from Conrad Smith in the last five minutes, the Hurricanes might have emerged triumphant. Maybe Conrad Smith didn't even need to pass, he could have gone himself or turned it inside to Ma'a Nonu.
But the fact the Chiefs had a little bit of luck only further emphasises that this is shaping as their tournament. The big question was always going to be whether they could stay firm under pressure. They don't have pedigree in these pressure games, having only ever been in this position once before.
And there was an air of tension in Hamilton. Mention the word playoffs and all of a sudden the intensity escalates and the space disappears.
It's also the time quality players make their presence felt. Mils Muliaina, with a big mental burden dumped during the week following his decision to stay through to the World Cup, ran like a huge weight had been lifted.
In these critical games, every inch is battled for and Muliaina gave his side yards. His partnership with Sitiveni Sivivatu ran like clockwork too and it's maybe too easy to fail to appreciate how slick and incisive these two are when they work in tandem.
Making their life exceptionally difficult was the defensive calm of the Hurricanes. Conrad Smith made sure the numbers matched up, that the line neatly shuffled this way and that with no gaps to be had.
For 40 minutes, the Chiefs couldn't find a way through and even when they did, from the first play of the second half, there was no obvious hole for Stephen Donald to run into.
The Chiefs first-five, as if he was aware that the eyes of the nation were on him, desperate for reassurance he really is the right man to replace Daniel Carter, gave hope to everyone.
The momentum from a Richard Kahui break appeared to be fading when Donald took possession. Yet, in a flash, he had skipped past one defender and in another handed off Rodney So'oialo and was touching down between the posts.
From nothing, something very important had been produced and the Chiefs were exactly where they wanted to be. They had an eight-point lead. Their confidence was rising and they were slowly taking control of the breakdown and lineout.
They also managed to see off So'oialo, who removed himself from the fray shortly after he was pushed firmly on his behind by a rampant Lelia Masaga. The All Black No 8 had the good sense to linger on the ground afterwards, making sure everyone realised he had been hurt in the incident.
The only worry for the Chiefs was that they desperately missed Brendon Leonard. He's a problem-poser, the kind of player who forces loose forwards to pay attention. Toby Morland was a problem-poser, too - unfortunately it was his own side who had to come up with the answers.
He was tentative, clumsy and, to be brutally honest, was out of his depth. What makes the Chiefs so dangerous is their ability to strike close to the breakdown as well as using the deadly pace of their back three in the wider reaches. Without Leonard, the Hurricanes knew where the attacking threat lay and they organised their defence accordingly.
By the second half, the Chiefs were opting for territory, deciding that if they weren't sure about going wide, it was best to bang the ball long and ask the Hurricanes to do something with it.
They tried but, as deep as they delved into their bag of tricks, they couldn't find the one they needed.
Chiefs 16 (S. Donald try; S. Donald 3 pens, con) Hurricanes 8 (D. Smith try; W. Ripia pen). Halftime: 9-8.
