Chiefs monster Moana Pasifika 85-7, go back atop Super Rugby Pacific table with record win

This article originally appeared on Stuff and is reproduced with permission

What Ardie Savea threat?

The old saying of a week being a long time in sport never rung truer than in Hamilton on Saturday night.

Fresh off producing arguably the best individual Super Rugby performance of all-time, the star All Blacks loose forward was effectively reduced to on-field spectator, in a quite stunning turn of events as the Chiefs ran rampant in a record-breaking, scarcely believable, 85-7 victory against Moana Pasifika.

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Hat-tricks to both winger Leroy Carter and halfback Cortez Ratima, who ended up out on the flank himself, propelled Clayton McMillan's side to a 13-try annihilation, in what was the biggest win, and most points, and tries, scored, in the franchise's history.

Their previous highest-margin of 56 was, incidentally, achieved in their 68-12 demolition of Moana on the very same ground just over 12 months ago. It was the same game where they had notched their previous-best of 10 tries, while their highest score prior to this was in their crazy 72-65 win over the Lions in Johnnesburg in 2010.

No-one ever saw this coming. Already with a record three-game win streak under their belts, including last weekend's magical triumph over the Blues, here were Tana Umaga's outfit hunting more history, perhaps needing two more wins from two to book a maiden playoffs berth.

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But instead, in front of the biggest crowd the fourth-year franchise had ever played in front of, and the Chiefs' largest home turnout of the year, the 17,666 at FMG Stadium Waikato watched on in a mixture of disbelief and joy as the massacre unfolded in front of their eyes.

This was savage stuff, in a ruthless display of power and panache, which has not only powered the Chiefs back to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder going into the final round, but with an exclamation mark or two added for good measure.

Sitting back on their bye week, Clayton McMillan had referenced he rather enjoyed seeing Moana's efforts against the Blues, knowing it would have his side right on edge as they returned to action.

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And weren't they just, as the hosts started like they meant to go on, and never allowed Moana any sort of sniff in a rampant 31-0 first half where the stats lines bordered on the ridiculous, in a half where the visitors paid a heavy price for two yellow cards.

Going into the sheds, the Chiefs had enjoyed a whopping 76% possession and 77% territory, making some 415 metres to Moana's mere 33, while beating 18 defenders to one, with five clean breaks to zero, and being on the right side of a 9-1 penalty count.

Losing winger Emoni Narawa (HIA) to the sin-binned Patrick Pellegrini (shoulder to head) did nothing to stem the Chiefs' attacking flow, as their forwards feasted on close-range attacks and the backs synced in style to finish time after time.

With Wallace Sititi at his bruising best in his charging carries, and Damian McKenzie's running game in full swing, fullback Shaun Stevenson was electric in his involvement and Carter out left further pressed his All Blacks claims.

The flying former national sevens rep produced all his pace and power to constantly bring the crowd to their feet, his near-miss diving on an in-goal ball late in the first half proving absolutely no problem as he went on to bag a second-half hat-trick, and finished with game-high numbers for metres (119), clean breaks (four) and defenders beaten (seven).

Going into the half, it was reminiscent of the two teams' meeting earlier in the season in Pukekohe, where the Chiefs had roared to a 43-7 advantage, in a game Moana ended up fighting back to lose 50-35.

Here, they only opened their account in the 49th minute, through a charge from, of course, Savea, but by then the game was really already out of reach.

In fact, Umaga opted to spell his skipper just a few minutes later in a clear sign they were already looking to next week in a must-win match against the Hurricanes in Wellington.

And the Chiefs were in no mood for letting the foot off the gas this time.