The Chiefs paid the price for resting star flyhalf Damian McKenzie in their 37-26 loss to the Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific in Christchurch on Friday.
The result was significant for the defending champions, as it meant the end of their worst run in Super Rugby history, after losing their previous five games and sitting at the bottom of the table going into the match.
Chiefs will be wondering what the hell happened and head coach Clayton McMillan's decision to leave out McKenzie, who lit up the tournament with his outstanding playmaking skills and is arguably the best player in Super Rugby Pacific this year. You'll regret it.
Click here for scorers
In the end, the Crusaders outscored the Chiefs with a score of 5 tries to 4 thanks to a 5-point shot by the home team's young hooker George Bell, which was the highlight of the match.
Former Wales international Johnny McNicol led the way with back-to-back tries, while Chey Fihaki and Karen Grace also scored for the home side. Riley Hohepa scored two conversions and a penalty for the champions, while Ribeth Reihana also scored a try and hit a three-pointer from the kicking tee.
Chiefs scored tries from Emoni Narawa, George Dyer, Anton Lienert-Brown and Cortez Latima, with conversions from Josh Ioane (two goals) and Josh Jacomb.
But it was Bell's five-pointer early in the second half that brought excitement to Apollo Projects Stadium, showing off the outside back's decisiveness in the front row.
This came after he ran onto a pass from Hohepa near the Chiefs' 10-metre line and made a quick turn that caught his opponents by surprise.
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The 22-year-old burst through four defenders and was soon inside Chiefs' 22, effortlessly past Jacombe and curling a cross into the left corner for a well-deserved try.
Great individual try from George Bell 🤩
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This gave the hosts a 27-12 advantage after a good start in the first half. Tries from Fihaki and McNicol extended their lead to 12-0, but Chiefs narrowed the gap with a goal from Narawa.
Grace and Dyer then crossed the whitewash and Hohepa converted a penalty to give the Crusaders a 22-12 lead at half-time. Bell's five-point shot was followed by Lienert-Brown's converted try with an hour remaining, cutting the Chiefs lead to eight points.
McNicol then crossed for his second try in the 65th minute and Reihana extended his side's lead with another goal, but Chiefs remained unconceded and Latima scored their fourth try five minutes later. I was rewarded for it.
It meant a nervy end for the home side, but Reihana converted a penalty late in the game to seal their first win of the season.
team
Crusade: 15 Chey Fihaki, 14 Seb Rees, 13 Levi Ohmua, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Johnny McNicol, 10 Riley Hohepa, 9 Mitchell Drummond (c), 8 Karen Grace, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Corey Kellow, 5 Jamie Hanna, 4 Quinten Strange, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 George Bell, 1 George Bower
Replacement: 16 James Mullen, 17 Kershawl Sykes-Martin, 18 Owen Franks, 19 Dominic Gardiner, 20 Fletcher Anderson, 21 Noah Hotsam, 22 Ribeth Rehana, 23 Macca Springer.
Chiefs: 15 Shawn Stevenson, 14 Emoni Nalawa, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanay-Seturo, 10 Josh Jacob, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Luke Jacobson, 7 Kaylum Bosher, 6 Naitor Ah Quoi, 5 Josh Lord, 4 Manaaki Selby-Rickitt, 3 George Dyer, 2 Samisoni Taukeiaho, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacement: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Jared Proffitt, 18 Reuben O'Neal, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Simon Parker 21 Cortez Latima, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Daniel Rona
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referee: Dan Waenga (New Zealand), Mike Winter (New Zealand)
TMO: Aaron Patterson (New Zealand)
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