It was a tight tussle until an unfortunate moment in the 36th minute. Drua fullback Ilaisa Droasese wandered towards the posts in his in-goal area and grubbed meekly ahead. Chiefs prop Jared Proffit skidded through and grazed the ball down with his forearm. It was his first try in 31 appearances for the Chiefs.
Two minutes later, All Blacks winger Leroy Carter slipped through and created an easy run-in for halfback Cortez Ratima. Three minutes after halftime, winger Daniel Sinkinson finished a move sparked by Wallace Sititi, Ratima, and Damian McKenzie.
Behind 35-10, it was unlikely the Drua could win, but their bench made telling contributions. Hooker Kavaia Tagivetaua burst 30 metres, and replacement halfback Simione Kuruvoli 20 metres to close the gap to 35-22 with 14 minutes remaining.
The Chiefs snuffed out any chance of a comeback when former All Black Sevens representative Tepaea Cook-Savage sparked a fluid movement with a quick lineout throw.
Earlier, the Drua started with gusto and precision, with tighthead prop Mesake Doge diving over from close range.
The Chiefs struck back in the 13th minute, with hooker Brodie McAlister burrowing over from a lineout drive that the next try scorer and top tackler with 16, Quinn Tupaea, was part of. Tupaea’s try came from a lineout move when McKenzie put winger Daniel Sinkinson through. Sinkinson, along with debutant fullback Isaac Hutchinson, enjoyed lively games. Hutchinson’s try-saving tackle on Drua halfback Frank Lomani was a contender for the best of the weekend.
Fijian Drua captain Temo Mayanavanua described Super Round as an “unreal experience” but rued his side “weren’t consistent enough” to win. He also praised the impact of the Drua bench.
Chiefs coach Jono Gibbes acknowledged the Drua’s physicality and unpredictability but was frustrated by his side’s high error rate. Still, the Chiefs improved their record to four wins in five games against the Drua, who have never won three consecutive matches.
Chiefs: 42 (Brodie McAlister, Quinn Tupaea, Jared Proffit, Cortez Ratima, Daniel Sinkinson, Tepaea Cook-Savage tries; Damian McKenzie 6 cons) Fijian Drua: 22 (Mesake Doge, Kavaia Tagivetaua, Simione Kuruvoli tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2 cons, pen) HT: 28-10
