Melbourne - The Waikato Chiefs sealed their place in the Super Rugby playoffs with a 24-3 demolition of the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
The Chiefs put in a brilliant defensive effort to keep the Reds try-less at Lang Park and spoil departing scrumhalf Will Genia and former skipper James Horwill's final game in front of home fans.
Bryce Heem and captain Liam Messam touched down early to give the Chiefs a 14-3 lead at halftime and centre Charlie Ngatai scored a third after the break.
The game kicked off on a sombre note with a moment of silence for former All Black Jerry Collins, who died with his wife in a car crash in France on Friday.
Messam said his side had tried to honour the memory of the hard-hitting flanker with their relentless defence.
“We talked a lot about Jerry Collins as an All Black ... We just tried to honour him with how we tackled tonight,” he said.
The Reds' loss, laden with handling errors and defensive howlers, was a record sixth at home this season and will heap additional pressure on embattled coach Richard Graham. – Reuters