Magical McKenzie puts Chiefs on top

A LATE surge saw the Chiefs edge the Crusaders 34-24 in a thrilling contest to extend their unbeaten run to nine games and equal a club record for their longest win streak ever.

The Crusaders drew first blood as prop Tamaiti Williams crashed over inside five minutes before the Chiefs settled into the contest and four Damian McKenzie penalties saw the league leaders enter half-time with a five-point lead.

Some magic from McKenzie then sparked the Chiefs’ attack into life as he sliced through the defence before linking with Shaun Stevenson who gave the final pass for Brodie Retallick to score.

The champions hit back with a penalty try as Luke Jacobson was sent to the sin bin for collapsing the maul before Fergus Burke crossed to give them a two-point lead.

But scores from Stevenson and Tyrone Thompson in the final 10 minutes secured the win as the Chiefs became the first side to do the double over the Crusaders since 2016.

Chiefs captain Sam Cane said: “Credit to our boys up front, they’ve been putting in a lot of work this season and to be able to use our scrum as a weapon was a massive part of us getting the job done tonight.”

The Hurricanes laid down a massive marker in their bid for a home quarter-final as they edged past the Brumbies 32-27 in a frantic affair.