Chiefs 23 - 13 Crusaders (kick off 7:35 NZT)
FINAL SCORE Chiefs 23 - 13 Crusaders..... Highlights are now up.
80 minutes - Damian McKenzie lands a penalty on the full time siren to deny the Crusaders a bonus point. Chiefs go top of the table with that win. Now sit on 46 competition points.
75 minutes - Andy Ellis makes way for Mitchell Drummond with five minutes remaining. The rain has returned. Will that influence the outcome?
73 minutes - Chiefs have now cleared the bench with Tom Sanders making way for Mitchell Brown. Crusaders win a penalty within kicking range. Richie Mo'unga lands it. Chiefs still lead 20-13.
65 minutes - Try scorer Brad Weber comes off for Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Taleni Seu comes off for Lachlan Boshier. Fifteen minutes to play, chiefs lead by 10. Who wins this game?
61 minutes - The Chiefs replace their entire front row. Hika Elliott gets an applause from the crowd in his 100th game for the chiefs, he is replaced by All Black Nathan Harris. Hames and Yamashita come off from Fisiihoi and Moli. Crusaders Flanker Jimmy Tupou come on for Jordan Taufua.
57 minutes - Andy Ellis lucky not to get sin binned after committing an offside offense right in front of goal. Chiefs take the penalty and extend the lead. Chiefs now up 20-10.
46 minutes - Damian McKenzie gets a chance to extend the lead but pushes it wide. Stephen Donald comes off with a hamstring injury, he is replaced by Aaron Cruden. Whilst Joe Moody and Michael Alaalatoa come on for Wyatt Crockett and Owen Franks respectively.
45 minutes - NO TRY - Chiefs thought they may have scored one of tries of the season which started from an intercept, but McKenzie was ruled to be tackled into touch by the TMO. Chiefs still lead 17-10.
40 minutes - Chiefs get the second half under way with a 17-10 lead. Toni Pulu won't return for the second half after failing the concussion test.
HALF TIME - Crusaders dominate the early exchanges but it's the Chiefs who head into the break with a 17-10 lead
40+ minutes - TRY Fijian born winger Jone Macilai scores a try on the half time siren. The Crusaders get the line break before spreading it wide. Chiefs will be disappointed letting the Crusaders score on halftime. Mo'unga kick the sideline conversion.
39 minutes - Chiefs winger Toni Pulu has now gone off for a concussion test. Replaced by Sam McNicol.
32 minutes - TRY. Fantastic try by the Chiefs. McKenzie steps through the Crusaders defense before passing to Brad Weber who scores the try. Great counter attack play which started in the Chiefs half. McKenzie adds the extra's. Chiefs now leading 17-3.
29 minutes - PENALTY GOAL. Damian McKenzie slots the penalty after a ruck infringement penalty. Extends the Chiefs lead to 10-3. Hiroshi Yamashita will return after passing his concussion test.
22 minutes - TRY. Chiefs score the opening try of the game. Tamanivalu stabs the kick through and James Lowe pounces to score the games opening try. Damian McKenzie nails the conversion. Chiefs 7-3. Chiefs prop Hiroshi Yamashita off for a concussion test.
19 minutes - PENALTY GOAL. Richie Mo'unga opens up the scoring for the Crusaders after dominating the early exchanges. The Crusaders dominating possession with 65% in the opening quarter. 3-0 Crusaders
15 minutes - The rain has eased up now in Suva. Fans are happy to see Beaver back and the Fijian fans are happy to see Nadolo making a big impact.
9 minutes - Lots of dropped balls happening. It's looking like a game of AFL at the moment with all the passing and kicking.
8 minutes - The Fijian crowd is going crazy in the early exchanges in this contest. Even in Fiji you can hear the cow bells ringing.
5 minutes - The Crusaders get a drive going, only for the Chiefs to get the turnover. Chiefs get a scrum on their own five meter line.
3 minutes - The Crusaders with an early attacking opportunity. Back to back penalties giving the Crusaders an early crack at the line.
Kick off: The Crusaders get the game under way here in Suva.
7:33 - Both teams are making their way onto the field. Looks like a packed house for the first ever Super Rugby game in Fiji.
7:22 - The Chiefs have won seven of the previous nine clashes between the two sides. The Crusaders last win against the Chiefs was back in 2014. Will history favor the Chiefs in tonight's clash?
7:14 - The rain is pouring down ANZ National Stadium. Both teams are warming up in the wet. It's currently 23 degrees in Suva.
Commentary will start from around 7:35pm (NZT). In the meantime check out the video above to see Newshub's Ross Karl chat with Hika Elliott ahead of the game.
Teams:
Chiefs: 15. McKenzie, 14. T. Puli, 13. Tamanivalu, 12. Lienert-Brown, 11. Lowe, 10. Donald, 9. Webber, 8. Sanders, 7. Cane (C), 6. Seu, 5.Retallick, 4. Bird, 3.Yamashita, 2.Elliott, 1. Hames.
Bench: 16. Harris, 17. Fisi’ihoi, 18. Moli, 19. Brown, 20. Boshier, 21. Kerr-Barlow, 22.Cruden, 23. McNicol.
Crusaders: 15. Dagg, 14. Macilai, 13. Fonotia, 12. Havili, 11. Nadolo, 10. Mo’unga, 9. Ellis, 8. Read (C), 7 Todd, 6. Taufua, 5.Whitelock, 4. Barrett, 3.Franks, 2. Taylor, 1. Crockett.
Bench: 16. Funnell, 17. Moody, 18. Alaalatoa, 19. Tupou, 20. Brown, 21. Drummond, 22.Hunt, 23. Wainui.
Pre-match banter:
By Cameron Russell
Stephen Donald admits starting in the Chiefs No.10 jersey ahead of All Black Aaron Cruden has come as a bit of a surprise.
Donald's star turn in Hamilton against Wales earned him a promotion - as well as Cruden's time away with the Test team with a neck injury.
But the modest veteran certainly didn't see the shock selection coming as they prepare to battle the Crusaders in Fiji.
"It's a nice surprise," said Donald. "I'm excited to have a crack and get out there with the boys."
Donald helps plan out some of the attack moves for the Chiefs, and this week he'll get to put his own plans into action. "We've all got our bit parts to play as well as all the preparation that goes, so yeah obviously along with [coach Kieran Keane] and a few other boys, we're in charge of that.
"Obviously we've been building this for a few weeks now, so it's been quite a long prep for the Crusaders."
Donald will come up against rising Crusaders first five-eight Richie Mo'unga, someone who the Chiefs playmaker rates highly.
"Obviously coming into that jersey down there, it's not easy, he's had a great year I thought.
"He's probably one of the main reasons why the Crusaders are on top of the table, he's doing a lot of good things out there."
Newshub.
