The Chiefs have powered to their sixth successive win in Super Rugby Pacific, holding off a stubborn Queensland Reds 31-21 in Brisbane to climb level with the Hurricanes at the top of the standings.
The contest looked anything but routine for long stretches, with the Reds twice clawing back into the contest before Chiefs number eight Wallace Sititi delivered the killer blow with the second of his two tries in the dying minutes.
Sititi, who has rapidly become one of the most talked-about forwards in New Zealand rugby, opened the Chiefs account in the first half and then ended any hope of a Queensland comeback when he burst clear off the back of a scrum late in the match. Fellow All Black Samisoni Taukei’aho also bagged a brace, with the hooker crossing twice from lineout drives that the Reds simply could not stop.
Reds winger Lachie Anderson had given the home side an early lead, and for a long period it felt like the Chiefs might be in for a difficult evening. Damian McKenzie’s reliable boot kept the visitors in front 10-7 at the break after a tense and physical first half in which neither side could pull clear.
The match opened up after the interval. Taukei’aho’s first try, off a powerful rolling maul, gave the Chiefs breathing room, but the Reds responded with spectacular tries to Louis Werchon and Treyvon Pritchard that kept the crowd on the edge of its seats. When Pritchard went over, the deficit was back to three points and the Reds had momentum.
That is when the Chiefs forwards reminded everyone why they are top of the table. Taukei’aho rumbled over for his second from another lineout drive, and then Sititi sealed the game with the kind of individual effort that makes selectors take notice. Picking up at the base of a scrum, he beat the first defender, accelerated through the gap and ran clear of the cover to make the result safe.
RNZ reported that the win lifts the Chiefs level with the Hurricanes at the summit of the competition, although the Wellington side have a game in hand. The Hurricanes face last-placed Moana Pasifika on Saturday night and a win there would put them clear at the top heading into the closing weeks of the regular season.
The result also reshuffles the playoff race below the leaders. The Reds, who started the round in fourth, slip to fifth, while the Chiefs strengthen their grip on a home quarter-final. They now turn their attention to a daunting domestic derby against the Highlanders in Hamilton next weekend, where a win would all but guarantee them a home playoff in the first round of the finals.
The performance against the Reds will give the Chiefs plenty to work on. The set piece was outstanding, with the lineout drive producing the most decisive moments of the match, and the forward pack laid a platform that allowed McKenzie to manage territory in his typically assured fashion. There were periods, however, when defensive lapses let the Reds back in, and the home side’s two tries in the second half exposed gaps in the Chiefs’ wider defensive system that better-organised attacks will look to exploit.
Sititi’s emergence is the standout story of the Chiefs’ run. The loose forward has been a revelation in 2026, combining the breakdown work and ball-carrying that has earned him an All Blacks jumper with the kind of finishing usually reserved for outside backs. His ability to score from broken play, as he did against the Reds, gives the Chiefs an attacking weapon that few sides in the competition can match.
Taukei’aho’s double also underlined the importance of having a hooker who is genuinely dangerous around the fringes. Both his tries came from drives the Reds knew were coming and could not stop, and the threat that creates pulls defenders into the ruck and opens space on the edges for the Chiefs backs.
For the Reds, the loss is a tough one to swallow given how close they came in the second half. Anderson, Werchon and Pritchard all crossed for tries, and the home side will feel they did enough to deserve a result. The reality is that at this stage of the season, narrow losses to fellow contenders may yet prove costly when the playoff places are decided.
Attention now shifts to next weekend’s round, with the Hurricanes given the chance to reclaim the outright lead against Moana Pasifika in Albany and the Chiefs preparing for a Highlanders side fresh from their 31-26 win over the Waratahs in Dunedin. The Highlanders survived a man-down finale to record their win and will travel north full of confidence.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, will take confidence from a Brisbane performance that, while imperfect, demonstrated the depth and composure of a team that knows how to win. Six in a row is a remarkable run in a competition as competitive as Super Rugby Pacific, and the way Sititi and Taukei’aho stepped up when the Reds threatened a comeback suggests this is a side hitting form at exactly the right time.
Whether they can hold off the Hurricanes and finish the regular season at the top remains to be seen. What is clear is that the Chiefs are in a strong position with two rounds to play, and a home quarter-final in Hamilton would put them firmly in the conversation as title favourites.
What did you make of the Chiefs’ performance in Brisbane, and can they finish the regular season on top? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job π
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