The sight of Brodie Retallick making big plays in the Chiefs’ season-opening win against the Highlanders ought to warm the cockles of their fanbase.
In his first game for the Chiefs since 2019, Retallick set up the pick of the Chiefs’ three tries in their 26-16 win at the Wakatipu Rugby Club in Queenstown on Saturday.
It was Retallick of old as he sucked in a couple of defenders and dished a sublime offload to fullback Emoni Narawa early in the second half.
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The Chiefs never trailed in the match, and outscored the Highlanders three tries to one on their way to a fairly convincing win.
Even when the Highlanders finally scored through prop Daniel Lienert-Brown to cut the deficit to 23-16 with 10 minutes to spare, the Chiefs responded by calmly stringing multiple phases together, leading to Bryn Gatland slotting a penalty to seal the deal.
One area the Chiefs will certainly need to tidy up is their lineout, which repeatedly failed them in the first half of the match.
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So ugly was the disconnect between rake Bradley Slater and his jumpers, you’d not be blamed for wondering if he’d only met them in the changing sheds prior to kickoff.
Four times the Chiefs rolled deep into Highlanders territory, once on the back of a superb 50/20 kick by halfback Xaiver Roe, only for the pill to hit the boggy surface as the result of a botch up.
Eventually, co-captain Sam Cane said enough was enough, calling for a scrum after Highlanders prop Jermaine Ainsley was pinged for obstruction on his line.
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It paid off. Pita Gus Sowakula darted down the short side and leapt over a diving Aaron Smith to score out wide, ensuring his side took an 18-6 lead into the break.
The Highlanders had their fair share of chances, but paid the price for their inaccuracy with ball in hand.
Whether it was midfielder Fetuli Paea dropping a ball on the line, wing Mosese Dawai forcing an offload, James Lentjes failing to hang on to a pass with acres of space in front of him, or their scrum faltering five metres from the line, the Highlanders were their own worst enemy.
THE BIG MOMENT
Look no further than Retallick’s sublime offload to set up Narawa’s 48th minute five-pointer.
“Guzzler” found himself in space after Shaun Stevenson opened up the Highlanders, before he sucked in a couple of defenders and flicked a peach of a ball out the back door for Narawa to run in and put the Chiefs 23-9 up.
MATCH RATING
5/10. Don’t bother stashing the recording of this match. That said, it wasn’t bad for a first up game, one with no shortage of handling errors which could be put down to early-season rust.
To be fair to the players, they had to contend with a soggy surface after heavy rain pelted the resort town in the morning.
THE BIG PICTURE
Super Rugby Aotearoa finalists last year, the Chiefs wasted little time showing they’re going to be serious contenders in Super Rugby Pacific.
There will be concerns for loose forward Luke Jacobson and lock Naitoa Ah Kuoi, who both got dinged up during the match, however.
As for the error-ridden Highlanders, the reality is a first round defeat shouldn’t cause any team to panic, not in a competition when eight of the 12 teams will qualify for the quarterfinals.
MVP
Chiefs No 8 Pita Gus Sowakula takes the honours, and not just for his quick read of an eager Aaron Smith when he darted over off the back of the scrum.
Sowakula made 15 tackles and 42 metres on 14 bruising carries.
Chiefs 26 (Sam Cane, Pita Gus Sowakula, Emoni Narawa tries; Josh Ioane 2 pen, con, Bryn Gatland pen) Highlanders 16 (Daniel Lienert-Brown try; Mitch Hunt 3 pen, con). HT: 18-6
– This article was originally published on stuff.co.nz and is reproduced with permission