Damian McKenzie wrote himself into Chiefs folklore by becoming the franchise’s all-time leading try-scorer as his side ran riot in a 62–17 demolition of Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific’s return to Rotorua after eight years.
Key moments
5 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Quinn Tupaea goes over in the corner after slick handling from Kyren Taumoefolau and Liam Coombes-Fabling. Damian McKenzie converts from near the touchline. (Moana Pasifika 0–7 Chiefs)
9 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Tupaea breaks through the line with ease and finds Taumoefolau on his outside to score. McKenzie converts. (Moana Pasifika 0–14 Chiefs)
16 mins – INJURY MOANA PASIFIKA: Niko Jones is forced off early and replaced by Semisi Paea.
18 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs work it down the short side as McKenzie chips through for Tupaea to chase. He claims and pops to Samipeni Finau, who goes over under the posts. McKenzie converts. (Moana Pasifika 0–21 Chiefs)
33 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Taumoefolau breaks straight up the middle and finds Tupaea with a nice ball on his inside. Tupaea strolls over under the sticks for his second. McKenzie’s conversion misses. (Moana Pasifika 0–26 Chiefs)
40 mins – YELLOW CARD MOANA PASIFIKA: Tom Savage is sent to the sin bin for head-to-head contact with Tupou Vaa’i. Savage later fails his HIA and does not return.
Half-time: Moana Pasifika 0–26 Chiefs. A dominant opening forty from the visitors. The Chiefs struck early through Quinn Tupaea and never let Moana Pasifika settle, capitalising on mistakes and turning pressure into points. Damian McKenzie controlled proceedings beautifully, dictating territory with his boot and creating chances at will. Moana had their moments deep in the Chiefs’ 22 but were denied repeatedly by strong defence and crucial turnovers.
44 mins – TRY CHIEFS: McKenzie breaks the Chiefs all-time try-scoring record. The Chiefs steal a lineout and spin it wide, with Coombes-Fabling breaking over halfway and finding McKenzie on his inside to stroll over for a stunning counter-attack try. McKenzie’s conversion falls short. (Moana Pasifika 0–31 Chiefs)
44 mins – DEBUT CHIEFS: Reon Paul comes on from the bench to make his Super Rugby debut, replacing Kyle Brown.
48 mins – DEBUT MOANA PASIFIKA: Jimmy Tupou comes on from the bench to make his Moana Pasifika debut, replacing Tom Savage.
49 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Tyrone Thompson finishes off a rolling maul to extend the lead. McKenzie misses the conversion. (Moana Pasifika 0–36 Chiefs)
52 mins – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: Moana finally get on the board. Glen Vaihu stabs a kick ahead and a series of chips sees Patrick Pellegrini set up Solomon Alaimalo, who gathers and goes over for a beauty. Pellegrini converts. (Moana Pasifika 7–36 Chiefs)
56 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Taumoefolau completes his double. Coombes-Fabling steams into the 22, draws his man and finds Taumoefolau on the outside to stroll over. McKenzie converts. (Moana Pasifika 7–43 Chiefs)
59 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Josh Jacomb pounces on a loose Moana pass and pins the ears back to race the length of the field. McKenzie converts to bring up 50 points for the Chiefs. (Moana Pasifika 7–50 Chiefs)
65 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs go the length again. Semisi Paea loses the ball in contact and Fiti Sa scoops it up to find Leroy Carter. He gets the offload away to McKenzie, who trips over the line to score his second. McKenzie misses the conversion. (Moana Pasifika 7–55 Chiefs)
69 mins – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: Abraham Pole powers over from close range after Alaimalo breaks through the line and Miracle Fai’ilagi is stopped inches short. Pellegrini’s conversion falls short. (Moana Pasifika 12–55 Chiefs)
73 mins – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: Captain Fai’ilagi breaks through the line and sprints down the right, beating McKenzie to the line for a fine individual try. Pellegrini’s conversion misses. (Moana Pasifika 17–55 Chiefs)
76 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Thompson completes his double, scooping up the ball from the back of a ruck and diving over. McKenzie converts. (Moana Pasifika 17–62 Chiefs)
Full-time: Moana Pasifika 17–62 Chiefs
Match report
There was an air of irony about this relocated fixture. Originally scheduled for Tonga before financial complications forced a venue change, Moana Pasifika’s “home” game ended up in the heart of Chiefs territory at Rotorua International Stadium – and the visitors made themselves very much at home.
From the moment McKenzie landed a 50-22 kick inside the opening minute, the Chiefs were in total command. Quinn Tupaea, the competition’s Player of the Year frontrunner, opened the scoring in the fifth minute after slick handling from Kyren Taumoefolau and Liam Coombes-Fabling created the overlap. McKenzie converted from the touchline to set the tone for what would become a one-sided afternoon.
The combination of Tupaea and Taumoefolau proved utterly devastating for Moana Pasifika. Tupaea turned provider moments later, breaking the line with ease before finding the former Moana winger Taumoefolau on his outside to double the advantage. The pair tormented their opponents throughout the opening half, their combination play opening gaps at will.
Moana had their moments. Tighthead prop Paula Latu was held up over the line twice as the hosts built promising attacking phases inside the Chiefs’ 22, but the visitors’ scramble defence refused to crack. It was symptomatic of Moana’s season – plenty of effort, not enough execution.
McKenzie’s chip through for Tupaea to chase set up try number three, the midfielder claiming the ball and popping to Samipeni Finau for a 21-0 lead after just 18 minutes. The game was already done as a contest, but the Chiefs were far from finished.
Tupaea completed his double in the 33rd minute, strolling over under the posts after Taumoefolau broke straight up the middle and delivered a perfectly weighted inside ball. McKenzie’s conversion drifted wide, but it mattered little with the scoreboard reading 26-0.
Moana’s misery was compounded on the stroke of half-time when lock Tom Savage was shown a yellow card for head-on-head contact with Tupou Vaa’i. The blow was softened when the incident was deemed accidental, but Savage later failed his HIA and did not return.
The second half brought only more pain for the hosts. Three minutes after the restart, McKenzie etched his name into the record books. An overthrown Moana lineout was gathered by Tyrone Thompson, and the Chiefs launched a stunning counter-attack from inside their own 22. Tupaea fed Coombes-Fabling, whose pace took him around William Havili, and he drew the last defender before finding McKenzie on his inside. The playmaker sprinted 40 metres to the corner, grounding the ball left-handed with his trademark grin. It was his 43rd try for the franchise, surpassing Sitiveni Sivivatu’s long-standing record of 42.
The five-pointer also brought up 1,500 career points in Super Rugby for McKenzie, moving him closer to Morne Steyn (1,551), Beauden Barrett (1,576) and all-time leader Dan Carter (1,708) on the competition’s points-scoring list.
Thompson finished off a rolling maul in the 49th minute to make it 36-0 before Moana finally got on the board. A hopeful chip from Coombes-Fabling inside his own half bounced kindly for Patrick Pellegrini, and the replacement first-five had the vision to put another kick through for Solomon Alaimalo – a former Chief – to gather and score. Pellegrini converted to give the home crowd something to cheer.
It was a brief respite. Taumoefolau completed his double three minutes later after another devastating break from Coombes-Fabling, before Josh Jacomb pounced on a loose Moana pass and raced the length of the field to bring up 50 points for the visitors.
McKenzie then got his second, finishing off another length-of-the-field effort after Fiti Sa scooped up a turnover and found Leroy Carter, who was hauled down by a brilliant cover tackle from Pellegrini. But the Chiefs recycled quickly, and McKenzie was on hand to trip over the line.
Moana salvaged some pride late on. Abraham Pole powered over from close range in the 69th minute after Alaimalo’s break, before captain Miracle Fai’ilagi produced a brilliant 50-metre solo effort to score in the 73rd minute, beating McKenzie to the line in the process.
But the Chiefs had the final say. Thompson completed his double from close range in the 76th minute, McKenzie converting to bring up 62 points and seal a comprehensive bonus-point victory.
For Jono Gibbes’ side, this was a statement performance that propelled them to the top of the ladder – at least temporarily – ahead of the Hurricanes-Blues clash later in the evening. The win extends their perfect record against Moana Pasifika to nine from nine, with an average winning margin of more than 40 points.
For Moana, it continues a difficult stretch. After winning their opener in Fiji, Tana Umaga’s side have now lost seven straight and face a tough assignment against the NSW Waratahs next weekend. The effort was there, particularly from Fai’ilagi and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa in the pack, but the execution gap remains stark.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, will prepare for a blockbuster showdown with the Hurricanes in Hamilton next Saturday – a match that could go a long way to deciding the top seed for finals.
What’s next
The Chiefs host the Hurricanes at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton next Saturday in a blockbuster top-of-table clash. Moana Pasifika travel to Sydney to face the NSW Waratahs at Allianz Stadium.
Match details
Moana Pasifika 17 (Tries: Alaimalo, Pole, Fai’ilagi; Conversion: Pellegrini 1/3)
Chiefs 62 (Tries: Tupaea 2, Taumoefolau 2, Thompson 2, Finau, McKenzie 2, Jacomb; Conversions: McKenzie 6/10)
Half-time: 0–26
Venue: Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua
Referee: Marcus Playle (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman, Fraser Hannon
TMO: Glenn Newman
Teams
Moana Pasifika: 15 William Havili, 14 Solomon Alaimalo, 13 Tevita Latu, 12 Faletoi Peni, 11 Glen Vaihu, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, 7 Niko Jones, 6 Miracle Fai’ilagi (c), 5 Veikoso Poloniati, 4 Tom Savage, 3 Paula Latu, 2 Millenium Sanerivi, 1 Malakai Hala-Ngatai.
Replacements: 16 Samiuela Moli, 17 Abraham Pole, 18 Atu Moli, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Semisi Paea, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 Patrick Pellegrini, 23 Tyler Pulini.
Chiefs: 15 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Kyle Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Kyren Taumoefolau, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Simon Parker, 7 Jahrome Brown, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i (c), 4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 3 Reuben O’Neill, 2 Tyrone Thompson, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Jared Proffit, 18 Sione Ahio, 19 Fiti Sa, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Reon Paul.
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