Me oh my!! This match has gone through the wire where both Chiefs & Reds were right in it all along, but it only has to be winner and one loser to be knocked out of the Final 8. Here we go!! The opening half saw the Reds open the TRY first while Chiefs went the other day with these three-point goals before they struck their first TRY right going into the break 16-10.
Then Chiefs continue to pile up more three-point goals to stay on top of the leaderboard; Reds on the other hand, find their way to stay in the hunt with their third TRY towards another upset also on their turf. But in the end, it’s the Chiefs who keep on grasping while never giving up, having regained the lead once more before they can finally see the light for the win as the clock ticks down going into full-time at FMG Stadium in Waikato 29-20.
Oh so close from Queensland who fell short by only nine points in the end against the top-ranked Chiefs side as a win once again in their land would’ve been unreal to advance into the last 4. They started the game really well while showing the best fight they’ve got as the game goes on which includes holding top spot on occasions. But they just couldn’t hold on under pressure when ill-discipline came into play with these lost penalties/advantages where the Chiefs struck one back a few times to regain the lead & stay in there before it was too late in the end.
Yes, their finishing has been poor for the majority of the year. But can’t deny their team spirit & the way they promote young talent thanks to the work Brad Thorn has built over the last few years as head coach. Whoever takes over from next season will not only be able to continue the good work from Thorny’s legacy, but hopefully improve their attack & first two towers that could potentially be a regular force at least in the Top 4 once again.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are still standing after they got away with the win against the Reds where they don’t give them a free ride from start to finish. They too also replied very well to the Reds good start who knows what it takes to win in their own turf before the Chiefs found a way to stay on top of them going into the half-time break. Although they had to keep on adding these mini boosters via the penalty goals while the Reds caught them up to regain the lead for a while. But they never gave up as the clock runs down where a late TRY by Pita Gus Sowakula was enough to keep their outstanding season alive going into next week for the semis.
Glad to see the Chiefs escape against an outsider who knows all about them pretty well where they were beaten once in New Plymouth a few weeks ago. Credit to their unmatched squad & coaching staff that saw them dominate the regular season including this Quarter-Final match with just one loss v the Reds of course. Now they better be aware of the fast starts against whichever team the Chiefs are set to face next weekend whether if it’s Brumbies or Hurricanes in the hope of going one better for the final & win the championship also v Blues or Crusaders.
