The Chiefs moved level with the Hurricanes at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific standings with a ruthless 42–12 bonus-point victory over the Highlanders at FMG Stadium Waikato, but the dominant display was overshadowed by injuries to Damian McKenzie and Caleb Tangitau that could have significant implications for both the playoff race and the All Blacks.
Key moments
7 mins – PENALTY MISSED HIGHLANDERS: Cameron Millar drags his attempt from 35 metres badly left. (Chiefs 0–0 Highlanders)
10 mins – INJURY HIGHLANDERS: Nikora Broughton departs with a suspected knee injury. Veveni Lasaqa replaces him, with Lucas Casey shifting to No.8.
19 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: The Highlanders scrum earns a penalty advantage on halfway and Lucas Casey seizes his moment, tidying a loose ball at the base and bursting through a seam past Josh Jacomb to carry defenders over the line. Cameron Millar converts. (Chiefs 0–7 Highlanders)
26 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Tupou Vaa’i wins a pilfer penalty and the Chiefs work upfield under advantage. A beautiful inside ball from Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi finds Wallace Sititi pouring into a gap on the outside of Ethan de Groot. He dots down by the posts. Damian McKenzie converts. (Chiefs 7–7 Highlanders)
29 mins – YELLOW CARD HIGHLANDERS: Ollie Norris bursts clean through a hole and looks for Sititi in support. Tomas Lavanini blatantly holds Sititi back without the ball and is sent to the sin bin.
31 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs kick to the corner and work to the other side of the pitch. The Highlanders’ backs come offside under advantage, and Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi reaches out to score. Damian McKenzie converts. (Chiefs 14–7 Highlanders)
36 mins – TRY CHIEFS: An Ollie Norris turnover helps pave the way for Damian McKenzie to carve through the Highlanders midfield, finding Xavier Roe in support. Adam Lennox stops Roe short of the line, but the forwards batter away from close range. Initially awarded to Samisoni Taukei’aho, the TMO changes the try scorer to Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, who grounded the ball a phase earlier. McKenzie converts. (Chiefs 21–7 Highlanders)
Half-time: Chiefs 21–7 Highlanders. The Highlanders dominated the opening quarter through their powerful scrum, turning down easy three-point opportunities before Casey’s instinctive try from the base. But Lavanini’s yellow card for a professional foul on Sititi swung the momentum decisively. The Chiefs scored three converted tries while the lock was off the field, with Ah Kuoi bagging a double and Sititi continuing his outstanding season. Jamie Joseph made a bold tactical change at the break, replacing first-five Millar with Taine Robinson.
54 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Xavier Roe spies a hole at the fringes of the ruck where Jack Taylor has over-committed wide and sprints through untouched from 15 metres, going under the posts. Damian McKenzie converts. (Chiefs 28–7 Highlanders)
57 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: A scrum penalty sees Adam Lennox tap quickly and burst 35 metres before being hauled down short. The Highlanders recycle wide left and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens dives into the corner with a spectacular somersault finish. TMO confirms the grounding. Taine Robinson misses the conversion. (Chiefs 28–12 Highlanders)
68 mins – INJURY CHIEFS: Damian McKenzie is left motionless face-down on the turf after copping a stray boot to the chin from Lucas Casey while attempting a tackle. Play is halted for several minutes before McKenzie rises with a bloodied left cheek and walks off. Josh Jacomb returns to the field.
72 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Jacomb lands a superb left-footed 50–22 to put the Chiefs deep in Highlanders territory. From the resulting lineout, the Chiefs drive the maul forward from 12 metres out and Brodie McAlister crashes over. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 35–12 Highlanders)
80+4 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Wallace Sititi pinches a clean turnover in midfield and the Chiefs shift it wide left. Kyren Taumoefolau takes off for the corner but can’t quite get there, throwing a remarkable flick pass back infield where Kyle Brown gathers and scores. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 42–12 Highlanders)
80+5 mins – INJURY HIGHLANDERS: Caleb Tangitau goes down with a non-contact injury while trying to beat a defender, clutching his leg and slamming the ground in frustration. He is carted from the field in distressing scenes. Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph confirmed on Sky Sport that the initial indication from medical staff was a ruptured Achilles.
Full-time: Chiefs 42–12 Highlanders
Match report
If Dave Rennie had come to Hamilton seeking clarity about his All Blacks options ahead of the Nations Championship in July, the new national coach left FMG Stadium Waikato with as many concerns as answers. The scoreboard told the story of Chiefs dominance — six tries to two, a seventh consecutive victory, and a return to the top of the standings on 45 points alongside the Hurricanes — but the sight of McKenzie lying motionless on the turf and Tangitau being carted off in tears told an altogether different one.
For the opening 25 minutes, though, it was the Highlanders who looked the more dangerous side. Despite the Chiefs commanding 78 per cent of the territory and close to 60 per cent of possession early on, Jamie Joseph’s pack was winning the physical battle where it mattered most. Entering the match with 29 scrum penalties won this season, they added to that tally immediately, twice turning down kickable penalties in favour of attacking scrums as they backed their forward power to deliver. The early loss of Nikora Broughton to a suspected knee injury inside the opening 10 minutes forced Casey to shift to No.8, but the young flanker responded magnificently. His try in the 19th minute was born of the Highlanders’ scrum dominance — peeling off the base under penalty advantage, he carried Jacomb over and beat Roe to the line for a deserved opener.
The Chiefs, however, remained composed. Tupou Vaa’i won a crucial pilfer penalty on the deck and the hosts worked patiently upfield, eventually finding the breakthrough when Ah Kuoi threw a deft inside ball to release Sititi through a gap on the outside of de Groot. The All Blacks No.8 crashed over by the posts and McKenzie’s conversion levelled the scores.
What followed was the turning point. Norris charged clean through a hole in the Highlanders defence and looked for Sititi in support, only for Lavanini to haul the No.8 back without the ball. Referee Berry had no hesitation in producing the yellow card. The Chiefs made the Highlanders pay handsomely during the Argentine’s 10 minutes in the bin, scoring two more converted tries to open a 21–7 lead by the interval. Ah Kuoi was at the centre of everything — first barging over from close range after the Chiefs kicked to the corner and worked the ball across the field, then grounding a second try that the TMO initially awarded to Taukei’aho before replays revealed Ah Kuoi had dotted down a phase earlier. Between his two tries, McKenzie had produced a searing break through the midfield that almost resulted in a score for Roe but ultimately set the platform for the forwards to batter their way over.
Joseph made a bold tactical call at the break, replacing first-five Millar with utility back Robinson, while Gibbes shored up his scrum by replacing Sione Ahio with George Dyer at tighthead — a nod to the damage de Groot had been inflicting at set-piece time. Neither change could alter the trajectory of the match. Roe’s try nine minutes into the second half was the easiest of the evening — the halfback spotted Taylor over-committing wide at the ruck, threw a dummy and waltzed through a hole from 15 metres out. McKenzie’s conversion made it 28–7 and the bonus point was within reach.
To their credit, the Highlanders refused to fold. Lennox sparked a counter-attack with a rapid tap penalty, bursting 35 metres before being hauled down just short. The visitors recycled wide left and Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens produced a spectacular somersault finish in the corner, grounding the ball despite sliding towards touch in goal. The TMO confirmed the try, though Robinson’s conversion drifted wide.
The Highlanders enjoyed their best spell of the second half as they chased a third try, with Casey again at the heart of their best work. It was during one of Casey’s powerful runs that McKenzie was caught by a stray boot while attempting the tackle, the halfback’s heel clipping the Chiefs fullback’s chin. McKenzie was left face-down and motionless, prompting anxious scenes as medical staff attended to him for several minutes. He was eventually able to walk from the field, sporting a bloodied left cheek, but will be ruled out of next week’s clash with the Crusaders at minimum. Gibbes offered some reassurance afterwards. “He’s alert and walking around,” the Chiefs coach said on Sky Sport. “He’s just trying to piece together how it happened to him.”
Jacomb’s return to the field proved timely. With 10 minutes remaining, the uncapped playmaker produced a superb left-footed 50–22 that put the Chiefs on the front foot deep in Highlanders territory. The resulting lineout drive was expertly controlled, the maul rumbling forward 12 metres before replacement hooker McAlister crashed over to restore the bonus point. Jacomb slotted the conversion from wide.
The final try was a fitting flourish. Sititi pinched a clean turnover in midfield and the Chiefs swept the ball wide left, where Taumoefolau took off for the corner. With the cover closing in, the winger threw a remarkable flick pass back infield where Brown gathered and scored. Jacomb’s conversion from the touchline brought up 42 points.
But the final act belonged to Tangitau. With the siren having sounded, the Highlanders were building phases when their star winger went down clutching his leg after a non-contact movement, banging the turf in obvious distress. He was carted from the field in heartbreaking scenes. Joseph confirmed the initial diagnosis from the medical staff was a ruptured Achilles tendon — a devastating blow for a player who had been lighting up the competition and appeared a certainty for Rennie’s 34-man Nations Championship squad. Highlanders captain de Groot was visibly shaken. “He’s an awesome player and our thoughts are with him,” de Groot told Sky Sport. “He’s electric and we love him so we need to get around him.”
The loss leaves the Highlanders languishing in seventh on 24 points with just an away trip to face the Hurricanes remaining before their final-round bye. Their finals hopes are now all but mathematically extinguished. The Chiefs, meanwhile, head into the final fortnight with seven straight wins and the minor premiership firmly in their sights, though the absence of McKenzie for at least next week’s trip to Christchurch is a significant concern.
Match details
Chiefs 42 (Tries: Sititi, Ah Kuoi 2, Roe, McAlister, Brown; Conversions: McKenzie 4/4, Jacomb 2/2)
Highlanders 12 (Tries: Casey, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens; Conversions: Millar 1/1, Robinson 0/1)
Half-time: 21–7
Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Attendance: 13,082
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia). Assistant Referees: Reuben Keane, Louis Trisley. TMO: Brett Cronan.
Teams
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 13 Kyle Brown, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Kyren Taumoefolau, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 3 Siona Ahio, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Benét Kumeroa, 18 George Dyer, 19 Fiti Sa, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Reon Paul, 23 Isaac Hutchinson.
Highlanders: 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Tanielu Tele’a, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (co-c), 11 Jonah Lowe, 10 Cameron Millar, 9 Adam Lennox, 8 Nikora Broughton, 7 Lucas Casey, 6 Sean Withy, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 4 Tomas Lavanini, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot (co-c).
Replacements: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Saula Ma’u, 19 Oliver Haig, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Will Stodart, 22 Folau Fakatava, 23 Taine Robinson.
What’s next
The Chiefs travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders next weekend without McKenzie, needing one more win to guarantee a home playoff. The Highlanders face the Hurricanes in Wellington in their final match of the regular season before a last-round bye, with their season effectively over.
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