McKenzie stars in second half Chiefs onslaught to down reigning champs

In another thrilling Super Rugby Pacific matchup in the new 2025 season, the Chiefs have beaten the Blues 25-14 at Eden Park in Auckland.

The grand final rematch from last year’s competition lived up to the high expectations, treating the “Pack the Park” Auckland crowd to an entertaining affair in both team’s first match of the season.

All Blacks first five Damian McKenzie pulled the strings in the second half, leading his side to a second-half comeback victory against the Blues.

It was Clayton McMillan’s Chiefs side who had the first big opportunity in the game, building phases in the Blues 22 after All Blacks first-five Damian McKenzie’s line break led to multiple penalties against the Blues. McKenzie slotted the straightforward penalty to give the Chiefs the early 3-0 lead.

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The first 20 minutes of action at Eden Park passed as the Blues started to gain some momentum in the game before they strung some phases together on the back of powerful runs from the Blues forwards.

The Blues were able to get the ball out into midfield after a relatively slow lineout drive as All Blacks loose forward Dalton Papali’i powered his way over the line to give the Blues a 7-3 lead 10 minutes away from halftime.

McMillan’s Chiefs tightened the margin to only one point with just over five minutes to go in the first half, with McKenzie calmly kicking his second penalty of the game.

Another Papali’i breakdown turnover gave the Blues the opportunity to extend their lead on the stroke of halftime, with Mark Tele’a being the beneficiary of a quick pass from Rieko Ioane, before his second five AJ Lam was alongside him in support to dot down in the corner.

Beauden Barrett added the extras, extending the Blues lead to 14-6 at halftime.

As the second half got underway, both teams made early errors with the ball in hand as the ball proved difficult to handle in slightly wet conditions.

It only took 10 minutes in the second half for Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan to call on his All Black replacements, as Tupou Vaa’i, Samipeni Finau, Emoni Narawa and Cortez Ratima all took the field to try and regain some momentum for the Waikato based side.

Star Chiefs playmaker McKenzie was able to scamper through the narrow Blues defensive line, scoring in the 52nd minute to close the margin to within touching distance. McKenzie failed to add the extras from close to the posts but was crucial in getting his side back into the game.

Not long after the Chiefs cut the Blues lead to three points, Mark Tele’a thought he had scored in the corner, before the TMO replay showed Tele’a’s right arm had touched the outline.

Reserve Chiefs loose forward Samipeni Finau broke through a tackle before copping a high shot from Blues prop Joshua Fusitu’a. Fusitu’a’s high shot resulted in a yellow card, leaving the Blues to battle away with 14 men for ten minutes.

The Chiefs’ onslaught of opportunities didn’t end there, as the one-man advantage created an overlap on the left wing, allowing former All Blacks Sevens speedster Leroy Carter to stroll in to score with just under 15 minutes to go.

A smart play from All Black halfback Cortez Ratima won the Chiefs the ball back from a 50/22 kick, piling more pressure on the undermanned Blues.

The Blues held on for the ten minutes while Fusitu’a was in the sin bin, but were unable to stop the Chiefs forwards from getting over the gain line, resulting in McKenzie’s second try of the evening close to the posts.

McKenzie converted his own try, putting the lead out to 11 points close to the finish.

Final score: 25-14 to the Chiefs.

The Blues will travel to Dunedin next week to take on the Highlanders, while the Chiefs host the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato on Friday night.