The Chiefs have won their last five Super Rugby games against the NSW Waratahs. This will be the first time that the two teams have ever met in the finals.
The Chiefs have won six of their last eight Super Rugby games at home against the NSW Waratahs (L2), including their last two on the bounce – they’ve scored an average of 43 points per game.
- The Hamilton men have lost their last four post-season games in Super Rugby competitions, their longest stretch in such fixtures; the last time they won a Super Rugby finals game was in 2017 against the Stormers (17-11).
- Clayton McMillan’s side has won six of their last seven Super Rugby games against Australian opposition (L1), including their last two on the bounce; they have won 12 of their last 14 home games against teams from Australia (L2).
- New South Wales has not won at FMG Stadium since 2010, their only win.
- The NSW Waratahs have won three of their last five finals games in Super Rugby competitions (L2) but have never won a finals game away from home in the history of the competition (L6).
- The Chiefs have made 10 offloads per game, the joint-most of any team in the competition; though, the Waratahs’ eight offloads per game are the most of any Australian team.
- NSW has stolen 21 lineouts, the second-most of any team in the competition behind the Western Force (25).
Players to watch
- Bryn Gatland has made 10 assists, the most of any player in the competition.
- Etene Nanai-Seturo has made 5.6 tackle breaks per game, the second-most of any player to have played at least 160 minutes this season.
- Mark Nawaqanitawase has scored five tries in his last five appearances, including three tries in his last two games.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
In the meantime, why not have a look at the match preview.
1.00: PEEEP! We are underway in the second Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final at FMG Stadium, Hamilton.
3.00: PENALTY! Bryn Gatland opens the scoring. 3-0
5.00: Back-to-back penalties for the Chiefs: Quinn Tupaea gets over the ball to win another penalty, this time a relieving one inside his 22. The second after Luke Jacobson gets taken out in the air at the lineout.
6.00: TRY! A sensational strike from Brad Weber off the back of the lineout for his 22nd Super Rugby score. Weber looped around Gatland on a switch-move, and the scrumhalf burst through a massive hole and raced away to score under the posts. 8-0
7.00: CONVERSION! Gatland adds the extras. 10-0
8.00: TRY! Dylan Pietsch beats Brodie Retallick to Ben Donaldson’s well-weighted grubber to put the Waratahs on the scoreboard. 10-5
10.00: CONVERSION! Tane Edmed lands the touchline conversion. 10-7
12.00: It’s helter-skelter in the Waikato. Mark Nawaqanitawase burst from his own half to the middle of the Chiefs’ 22 before Jonah Lowe’s intervention saves the home team’s blushes.
13.00: Pita Gus Sowakula strays at the breakdown, Edmed boots to the 22.
15.00: Another turnover by the Chiefs, this time from Tupou Vaa’i, lets the home team off. NSW cannot afford to lose possession so easily when inside the red zone. Luke Jacobson, however, commits another infringement at the ruck, Edmed calls for the tee.
17.00: MISS! Edmed’s kick is just wide. 10-7
18.00: A mistake from the 22-dropout gives the Waratahs a fifth opportunity to attack inside the opposition’s 22. Once again, the Chiefs give away another penalty at the ruck.
19.00: PENALTY! Edmed cannot miss from in front. 10-10
22.00: TRY! Luke Jacobson scores from a rolling maul. The flanker burst through the Waratahs’ forwards easy as you like. 15-10
23.00: CONVERSION! Gatland lands the wide conversion. 17-10
25.00: A penalty goes against the hosts, Edmed calls for the tee.
27.00: MISS! Another kick goes begging from the standoff. 17-10
29.00: Superb work from Pietsch to win a turnover penalty at the ruck to clear the danger.
31.00: A mixup in the midfield leads to Donaldson putting in a grubber that rolls into touch. The Chiefs win a penalty from the lineout, and Gatland boots his side into the opposition’s 22.
33.00: Tupou Vaa’i with another error inside the Tahs’ 22, this time he drops the ball without any pressure in his face – that is poor from the big man.
34.00: TRY! Alex Nankivell capitalises on a horrible series of mistakes from the Aussie backs. NSW tried to run from deep inside their 22 off the back of the scrum, but Edmed’s wide flat pass was dropped by Donaldson and bounced off Nawaqanitawase’s boot into the path of Nankivell. Nankivell toed the ball forward into the in-goal area to score. 22-10
36.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 24-10
38.00: The hosts win a fortuitous scrum after a missed forward pass in the lead-up to a centrefield scrum.
40.00: Lalakai Foketi is harshly pinged for offside from the scrum after the home team is held up over the line.
41.00: PENALTY! Gatland extends. 27-10
The halftime score was Chiefs 27 NSW Waratahs 10
41.00: PEEEP! We are back underway in Waikato, New Zealand.
43.00: A nine-phase attack ends with the Chiefs winning possession after some good work by Retallick.
46.00: TRY! Harry Johnson-Holmes wins a crucial turnover near his try line before popping to Michael Hooper. Hooper raced to his 10m before offloading to the supporting Harry Wilson. Wilson charged from behind his 10m and raced away from Nankivell, winning the foot race to score. 27-15
47.00: MISS! Edmed misses another kick, that’s eight points missed from the tee. 27-15
50.00: another Waratahs’ mistake, this time from Mark Nawaqanitawase, gives the Chiefs the ball.
53.00: Both teams are making changes in the forwards, the Tahs need to find some rhythm again because time is running out.
54.00: Alex Newsome knocks on to give away the ball again.
57.00: More mistakes inside the Chiefs’ 22 see a chance go begging for the Aussies.
60.00: Another lost ball inside the 22 gives the Chiefs a scrum. The Chiefs then win a free-kick to clear the danger.
62.00: Dylan Pietsch drops the ball with nobody in front of him.
64.00: TRY! Some slick handling down the blindside ends with Jonah Lowe offloading to the supporting Weber to score his second of the night. That’s the ball game! 32-15
65.00: MISS! The kick is wide. 32-15
68.00: It’s all Chiefs, who are camped inside the NSW 22.
71.00: TRY! Pita Gus Sowakula crashes over from close range after the Chiefs’ maul broke up bear the line. 37-15
72.00: CONVERSION! Gatland slots the conversion. 37-15
75.00: Lowe drops the ball into touch.
78.00: The game is going through the motions as the Chiefs book a semi-final berth.
81.00: The ball is booted into touch, the Chiefs move on.
FULL TIME
To refresh this page, click HERE. Live In-Play Betting.
The final score is Chiefs 39 (27) Waratahs 15 (10)
Scorers
Chiefs
Tries – Weber (2), Jacobson, Nankivell, Sowakula
Pen – Gatland (2)
Con – Gatland (4)
Drop –
Cards –
NSW Waratahs
Tries – Pietsch, Harris
Pen – Edmed
Con – Edmed
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 1: Jordan Way
Assistant Ref 2: Dan Waenga
TMO: Chris Hart
Teams
Chiefs: 15 Emoni Narawa, 14 Jonah Lowe, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Bryn Gatland, 9 Brad Weber (captain), 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Atu Moli, 19 Naitoa Ah Khoi, 20 Mitch Brown, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Rameka Poihipi.
Waratahs: 15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Alex Newsome, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon (captain), 8 Will Harris, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Charlie Gamble, 5 Ned Hanigan, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Tom Horton, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Mahe Vailanu, 17 Paddy Ryan, 18 Archer Holz, 19 Hugh Sinclair, 20 Jeremy Williams, 21 Langi Gleeson, 22 Jack Grant, 23 Jamie Roberts.
