Replacement flyhalf Mike Delany kicked four penalties as the Waikato Chiefs ground out a 15-9 victory over the previously unbeaten Sharks in their Super Rugby clash in Hamilton on Friday.
Fullback Tim Nanai-Williams also slotted an early penalty, while Sharks flyhalf Patrick Lambie kicked three penalties for the visitors in a tight and niggly arm wrestle in wet and slippery conditions at Waikato Stadium.
“It was an important victory for us, a real gutsy win,” Chiefs captain Liam Messam said in a televised interview. “It wasn’t the prettiest of rugby but the forwards got stuck in and the main thing was we came away with a win.”
The home side were the more enterprising of the two teams, often making line breaks, only for their poor handling to let them down with numerous dropped balls.
They were also forced into touch too many times, which allowed the Sharks the opportunity to use their well-drilled lineout to reverse the momentum and give them an attacking platform.
‘Wasn’t a spectacle of rugby’
The Sharks defence, particularly around the breakdown was brutal, driving attackers back time and time again — including one period in the final two minutes of the first half when the home side hammered away at the try line for no reward.
“It was a real dog fight out there but sometimes you have to play that and we just had to be a little bit smarter,” Sharks centre Stefan Terblanche said.
“We pride ourselves on our defence and they have game breakers all over the park so we kept them out but it wasn’t really a spectacle of rugby.”
The physical nature of the match took their toll on the Chiefs with flyhalf Stephen Donald being taken to hospital for precautionary checks on a rib injury after he was struck by the knee of a Sharks player while trying to secure a loose ball.
Prop Ben May also joined Donald on the sidelines in the first half when he limped off in pain with a calf injury, while replacement lock Romana Graham lasted less than five minutes in the second-half before he groggily walked off. — Reuters