Chiefs Manawa have come away with a resounding win over Hurricanes Poua to start the second round of Super Rugby Aupiki, despite being down to 13 players at one point.
Chiefs Manawa proved too much to handle for Hurricanes Poua in Hamilton on Tuesday, using their size and speed to outmuscle the visitors in a physical contest.
Hurricanes Poua loosie Layla Sae set the mood in just the eighth minute of the physical contest with a brutal fend in the midfield to get her team rolling.
But it would be Chiefs Manawa who got the scoreboard going after a setpiece move from a scrum on halfway, involving an offload from Portia Woodman, saw the hosts storm into Hurricanes Poua's 22.
From there, quick hands in the backline saw the ball shift from left to right to put midfielder Renee Wickliffe over untouched on the wing in the 14th minute.
The Hurricanes responded minutes later with a penalty but soon after, hooker Luka Connor spied a gap from a ruck 40m from Hurricanes Poua's line. She picked the ball up and took the chance to go for it on her own.
With the visitors caught napping, experienced fullback Selica Winiata was tasked with the one-on-one stop but Connor shifted the ball away from the Black Fern and put out her hand to fend her off.
The move was effective, with Winiata brushed aside and Connor going the rest of the way to score to push Chiefs Manawa's lead out to 12-3.
Hurricanes Poua didn't let the try sway them though, responding four minutes later with a try to Joanah Ngan-Woo, set up by an equally-bruising run from Monica Tagoai.
The dust settled with the Chiefs holding on to a 12-8 lead at halftime but the action was back on early in the second half with Woodman finishing off another setpiece in the left corner.
Hurricanes Poua were straight back on the attack though after forcing an error shortly after the restart.
The territory and possession led to a string of penalties near Chiefs Manawa's line and after a fourth-straight whistle, Victoria Edmonds was sent to the bin to give Hurricanes Poua a one-person advantage for 10 minutes.
Teammate Kennedy Simon joined her soon after as the penalties continue to pile up without any score, leaving Chiefs Manawa with just 13 players on the field.
Despite the deficit, Chiefs Manawa's defence held firm and continued to defuse any attacks. In fact, the hosts managed to take control of the match with territory and possession while waiting for Simon to return.
Before she did though, Chiefs Manawa were over in the corner again through Hazel Tubic to open up a 22-8 lead with four minutes to go.
The Chiefs then put the cherry on top with a fifth try to Mia Anderson on the final hooter.
The win sees Chiefs Manawa go top of the table with a two-for-two start while Hurricanes Poua are still searching for their first win after their match last week was cancelled due to a Covid-19 outbreak.
SHARE ME