Chiefs hold off brave Sunwolves in Super Rugby

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Damian Mckenzie sparkled as the Chiefs stuttered their way to a win against the Sunwolves.

The Chiefs made it eight wins from nine games, after fending off a brave second half fightback by the Sunwolves to secure a narrow 27-20 victory in Hamilton.

Three first-half tries earned the Chiefs a commanding 17-point lead, before the visitors from Japan hit back with two of their own and ended Saturday's match with just 13 players.

Hika Elliot, Solomon Alaimalo and Damian McKenzie touched down before the break as the hosts cantered to a 20-3 advantage.

Elliot scampered over for the opening try after just three minutes, following a quickly taken scrum free-kick.

Alaimalo added a second on 23, after being fed out wide by McKenzie to move the Chiefs 10-3 ahead.

And McKenzie grabbed the third himself at the end of six phases, thanks to an assist by fly-half Aaron Cruden.

Fumiaki Tanaka nabbed the visitors' opening try five minutes into the second half, when the scrum-half nipped over near the posts.

McKenzie claimed his second on the hour mark in spectacular fashion: Cruden collected a high kick, laid it on to replacement James Lowe who in turn slipped to ball to the full-back to race home from the half-way line.

The Sunwolves went over again on 66 when they constructed seven phases following a scrum to set up Derek Carpenter to touch down near the corner and, when Jamie-Jerry Taulagi successfully converted, the margin was 10 points.

Taulagi's penalty seven minutes from time completed the scoring before the Sunwolves lost two players during the closing moments of the game.

First, the TMO ruled that Taulagi threw a punch in the tackle and was shown a red card, and shortly afterwards Carpenter was given a yellow for a deliberate knock down.

The result leaves the Sunwolves rooted to the base of the 18-team table, while the Chiefs remain on course for a home quarter-final.

Chiefs captain Sam Cane said: "The Sunwolves came to play and gee they played with some courage.

"When they put us under pressure we were guilty of throwing away quite a bit of ball so we tried to tighten it up and we probably went one step too far. Some of the ball was pretty slow and we struggled to get any go-forward off it."