Chiefs Manawa have sealed their second straight victory in Super Rugby Aupiki, maintaining their unbeaten start to the inaugural season with a 29-8 victory over Hurricanes Poua in Hamilton.
Fresh from a 17-15 victory over Matatū in the competition's first match last Thursday, Chiefs Manawa put in a much-improved display in their sophomore showing, scoring five tries and conceding none in response.
Should Chiefs Manawa defeat the Blues on Sunday, they will be crowned as the inaugural champions of Super Rugby Aupiki, regardless of other results.
The match also marked Hurricanes Poua's maiden appearance in the competition, after their start to the season was delayed by a COVID-19 outbreak in camp last week.
Chiefs Manawa opened the scoring in the 13th minute, as Renee Wickliffe made the most of an overlap on the right-hand side, where the try was confirmed after a TMO check for a forward pass.
A penalty to Carys Dallinger gave Hurricanes Poua their first points as an official team, and brought the scores back to 7-3, only for Chiefs Manawa to strike again thanks to a runaway effort from hooker Luka Connor.
But Hurricanes Poua weren't going to give up without a fight in their debut game either, as lock Joana Ngan-Woo scored her side's first competition try - thanks largely to two strong runs from the midfield pairing of Monica Tagoai and Jannah Vaughan, to bring the scores to 12-8 at halftime.
After the break, New Zealand Sevens star Portia Woodman scored Chiefs Manawa's third, dotting down in the corner after another overlap - exposed by Kelly Brazier.
Chiefs Manawa lock Victoria Edmonds was shown a yellow card in the second half after a deliberate knock-on, before she was joined by No.8 Kennedy Simon - sent to the bin for repeated infringements that left her side down to 13 for a short spell.
But Hurricanes Poua couldn't capitalise on their numerical advantage, as the Chiefs Manawa defence held until they returned to their full complement.
Back to 14 players on the field, Chiefs Manawa scored again - this time through fullback Hazel Tubic, who touched down for a try in the corner after a pick-and-go on the tryline.
And back at 15 for the final moments, Chiefs Manawa grabbed one last try - their fourth - to complete their victory, when substitute Mia Anderson finished the match by scoring after the siren.
The win sees Chiefs Manawa sit comfortably atop the Super Rugby Aupiki standings, with eight points from two matches.
Hurricanes Poua meanwhile - along with the two other New Zealand women's sides - are yet to record a win, just three games into Super Rugby Aupiki's first edition.
Chiefs Manawa 29 (Wickliffe 13', Connor 21', Woodman 42', Tubic 66', Anderson 73' tries; Brazier 14', 74' conversions)
Hurricanes Poua 8 (Ngan-Woo 25' try; Dallinger 17' penalty)
