Chiefs coach Warren Gatland didn't need to think twice when identifying the root cause of his team's 34-19 defeat at the hands of the Crusaders at Hamilton on Saturday.
A fortnight after the Chiefs' last-gasp try had sunk the perennial contenders at their Christchurch fortress, the Crusaders exacted revenge by toppling them on their own turf in another scintillating contest in what's quickly becoming Super Rugby's best rivalry.
Speaking after the game, identified the Crusaders' superiority at the breakdown and the aerial battle as the decisive factors in the match.
"Those were the two areas where we couldn't get a foothold into the game and that was probably the difference between the two sides," Gatland says.
"They were hurting obviously from a couple of weeks ago. We looked really strong holding the ball through phases and scoring points but we weren't able to do that long enough.
"They put a lot of pressure on us, particularly at the breakdown. They made it tough for us and we kind of got our pants pulled down in that area.
"We feel we've been tracking pretty well and improving every week and today was probably a bit of a backwards step
"We need to take stock of that and focus on those two areas in particular."
Their cause wasn't helped by the loss of All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick, who left the field in the first half with a suspected hand injury. Gatland says Retallick will undergo X-rays to determine the severity.
Captain Sam Cane echoed his coach's sentiments regarding his team's shortcomings on Saturday night, confessing they need to pay more attention to the details if they're to become genuine title challengers.
"We feel we've been building really nicely and slowly making improvements, but today we just got beaten to the punch in a lot of different little areas," says Cane.
"They dominated the aerial space and the kick battle and dominated the majority of collisions and the breakdown as well
"I know we fought back and gave ourselves a chance but if we're going to be serious contenders this season we can't get beaten in those sorts of areas."
Result aside, the team savoured being back out playing among the Chiefs faithful and their trademark cowbell soundtrack, after the Government's easing of outdoor event restrictions last week meant the FMG Stadium gates were fully opened.
"It was awesome,"Cane says with a smile. "It was such a strong turnout on quite short notice.
"It certainly makes you appreciate them and the atmosphere that they bring."
The Chiefs will try to get back to their winning ways against the Hurricanes at Wellington next weekend.
