Red-faced Chiefs in crisis

PETER MEECHAM

RED RAGS TO A COWBELL: The Queensland Reds celebrate victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton.

OPINION: Not a good week for the Chiefs. First they undo a major chunk of what they achieved with that ground-breaking opening to the new Super 14 season, then they face the very real prospect of heading into Friday's seismic matchup against the Crusaders without two of their X-factor forwards.

Not a good week at all. But, to be fair, possibly a typical one for a franchise that never seems to trod the route well-travelled. Maybe, just maybe, Ian Foster and his men from cow country will find some familiarity in the mayhem. Some calm amid the chaos. They've certainly got that this week as they deal with the fallout of a tumultuous last few days in Hamilton.

On the field they have issues following Friday night's 18-23 defeat to the Queensland Reds at Waikato Stadium. Outgunned up front and outhustled around the park, the Chiefs clocked off after a magic opening quarter and paid the price with their first loss of the season. On the back of that three-game tour sweep, it was the worst of homecomings for a side that loves nothing better than playing in front of its cowbell-clanging faithful.

But that's not where it ends for an outfit that will shake off the jetlag this week, but may find it a bit trickier dealing with the hammer blows from the actions of a couple of their errant big men. Serial offender Sione Lauaki certainly didn't set the tone for a positive night when it emerged just hours before kickoff that he was in hot water again after late-night shenanigans. It wasn't enough that the blockbusting No 8 was serving the final days of a Sanzar-imposed suspension for a dangerous tackle.

The matter is now in the hands of the police and the Chiefs aren't commenting until that process plays out. It's understood the incident is minor but Foster is said to be ropeable and even if Lauaki escapes being charged, as looks likely, he will likely sit out at least Friday's game against the Crusaders under team protocols. He may not be alone there, with gnarly prop Sona Taumalolo cited for his late, high hit on Reds first five-eighths Quade Cooper. A Sanzar judiciary will decide whether the loosehead prop pays a price for that moment of ill-discipline.

After a week when Mooloo hopes were high following the return of world-class backs Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu, it has all rather unravelled for last year's runners-up who got off to a flyer with those wins at the Sharks, Lions and Western Force.

SO, WHAT to make of it all?

Certainly the theory that the Chiefs' start had been a little flattering, given the soft nature of the opposition, now appears to hold weight. And, let's face it, it hadn't always been pretty as they scrambled home against the out-of-sorts Sharks, coughed up 65 points to the Lions and struck the injury-ravaged Force at a bit of a low ebb.

Now a certain reality has hit home. Foster conceded that as he reflected yesterday on the painful lessons of the season's first defeat.

"As a coach you always think could I have done something different? But we've just got to take it on the chin. It's disappointing to lose in front of our fans but it's not a bad Reds team and they taught us a lesson."

Several. That you can't sit back and admire 20 minutes of scintillating handiwork. That urgency at the breakdown and aggression all over the field brings its rewards. That playing hard for 80 minutes is the real recipe for success.

"If there's a positive it's that we've been shown that patience on attack will reap rewards," adds Foster. "And that if we're not on our game 100% we're going to miss out. You're not sitting there waiting for a loss after you've won three in row, but when it does come it hurts. It's not rocket science – sometimes a loss kicks you up the butt, gets you refocused and gets the feet back on the ground. It looked like we needed that."

The coach, though, is a realist and he knows the travails of travel and time-zone changes create a unique sort of challenge. One that caught his men short this time round. "We just need to charge it up a bit and look forward to the next one knowing there's a bye after that. In a lot of ways it gives us more steel for next week."

Foster also acknowledges his team may not have been quite as good as some were making out. "I never felt totally comfortable with how we were tracking on the park. You could still see areas where we weren't as good as we needed to be. To that end the Reds game has been a good reality check."

This willingness to self-examine is a good sign, both for this exciting franchise with its high-octane brand of running rugby, and for its level-headed coach who could raise his hand as an early contender to take on the big job post-2011.

Foster acknowledges the bar has been raised, not just last year, but in past seasons. "We look at last year and don't see it as being a one-off," he says with a shrug. "We see it as a consequence of a lot of hard work and building the group. Our expectations are high and like everyone we're chasing perfection. We fell a bit short on Friday night."

If there's been a hallmark of the Chiefs the last year and a bit, it's been in the way they've dealt with injuries and defections. Just shrugged and got on with it. And filled the holes splendidly. Even this season, they've been charging along without either of their first-choice locks, with those wonder wings clipped, with Lauaki on ice and James McCougan out of the propping equation.

Things don't look like improving this week and you need to at your best to tackle the Crusaders.

"I'm very confident," countered Foster. "I looked at our team on Friday night and there was just that bit of tiredness in it but we weren't far off, and we'll certainly get that energy back pretty quickly."

The Chiefs will need it on Friday.

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