Chiefs grab Super Rugby top spot with record-breaking Moana romp
HAMILTON - Waikato Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan urged his rampant side to "stay grounded" after an 85-7 trouncing of Moana Pasifika put them top of the Super Rugby standings with one round to play.
Scrum-half Cortez Ratima and wing Leroy Carter scored hat-tricks in a dazzling 13-try display in Hamilton on Saturday which vaulted the Chiefs into pole position for the playoffs.
Mixing physicality with lightning-fast attacks, the hosts posted their biggest-ever score and winning margin.
By both measures, it was the most lopsided Super Rugby game since 2017.
Fly-half Damian McKenzie scored 23 points and was at the heart of numerous attacking raids.
McMillan said "lots of magical tries" were scored, but he warned his players not to get carried away.
"It's hard to be critical, although I still can find a few ways," he told Sky TV, highlighting a high turnover count.
"On another night, that's just not gonna be good enough.
"I'm not sure we saw the best Moana side today for whatever reason and while tonight was a really good performance, we've still got to stay grounded."
Victory over the last-placed Otago Highlanders next week will guarantee top seeding for the Chiefs in the six-team play-offs.
Any slip-up would open the door for the second-placed Canterbury Crusaders and third-placed ACT Brumbies, who meet in Canberra on Friday.
Wellington Hurricanes and Queensland Reds are also assured of their places in the playoffs, but the sixth and final spot remains up for grabs.
Sixth-placed Moana will probably torpedo any chance of a maiden appearance in the finals if they lose to the Hurricanes.
They would then be overtaken by the winners of a match between the defending champion Auckland Blues and New South Wales Waratahs, who are in seventh and eighth places.
The Waratahs kept their hopes alive with a 22-17 defeat of the Western Force in extra time on Saturday, after the scores were locked 17-17 after 80 minutes.
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