A 79th minute try from centre Jackson Willison helped the
Waikato Chiefs to a close fought 29-22 win over the ACT Brumbies
in an error-strewn Super Rugby match in Tauranga on Friday.
A poor match came to life in the final 10 minutes when the
teams scored three tries, with Willison having the decisive say
when he squeezed into the left corner to give the Chiefs their
third win of the campaign.
Chiefs flyhalf Aaron Cruden converted from the touchline to
take his tally to 19 points in a faultless seven from seven
kicking display as Waikato went top of the New Zealand
conference.
“A little bit of character and fight got us through,” Chiefs
captain Craig Clarke said in a pitchside interview.
“They were up in our face and we were struggling to get
going forward so it was pretty testing for us.”
Cruden and Brumbies flyhalf Christian Lealiifano had three
penalties apiece in a tight opening half where the heavily
fancied home side, with their hugely talented backline, were
guilty of numerous handling errors.
The Brumbies, who won their opening two fixtures, were
defending well and should have had the game’s opening try but
Scott Fardy wasted a glorious chance.
The flanker escaped three flimsy Chiefs tackles in the 28th
minute but then lost control of the ball as he stretched to
touch down on the try line.
The sides went in level at 9-9 at halftime and Cruden and
Lealiifano each kicked two more penalties in the second half as
the boot looked set to decide the outcome of the match before
the late fireworks.
Continued…
