Staunch Hurricanes defence did the damage and ensured a belated Chiefs assault came to nought when claiming a 25-18 Super Rugby Aotearoa win at Hamilton's FMG Stadium on Sunday.
It wasn't until after the Hurricanes had lost lock Scott Scrafton for an automatic red card when he conceded two yellow cards, that the Chiefs managed to find gaps in the defensive wall of the visitors.
A penalty try, from Scrafton's second yellow card, gave the Chiefs hope but they were too late finding their way and it was a deserved first win in the competition and their fifth consecutive win over them in recent years.
Fullback Jordie Barrett marked his return with a strong display, not least a 58m penalty goal after the halftime hooter but also in strengthening the back attack. Wing Kobus van Wyk marked his return with two tries, including in the first five minutes while hooker Dane Coles revelled in open play with some key runs.
The Hurricanes got straight onto the attack and after a strong surge down the left flank, they won a scrum just out from the line. They moved the ball back to the openside and Barrett, who had moved into a midfield position flung a long pass to an unmarked van Wyk. He had time to let the ball bounce around on the ground, recover it and score with ease.
Problems arose for the Hurricanes after loosehead prop Fraser Armstrong was forced to leave the field with a leg injury 20 minutes into the game. The Hurricanes were well placed to use their scrum to pressure the Chiefs who were just out from their own line.
But after two resets May was penalised and the ground lost. Then moments later, further downfield, May was again penalised at a scrum. However, determined Hurricanes defence ensured the Chiefs were unable to capitalise and while penalty chances were on offer, they looked most often to play the corners and attempt their lineout drives.
The Chiefs then lost lock Naitoa Ah Kuoi after a bad head clash with Hurricanes flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi.
The Chiefs continued to probe but found the defence impenetrable. By comparison, the Hurricanes found a way through when hooker Dane Coles was out on the blindside where he picked off an intercept pass from halfback Brad Weber and moved it wide to wing Ben Lam.
The momentum was with the Hurricanes as flanker Ardie Savea, second five-eighths Ngani Laumape and lock Scott Scrafton all featured with strong runs before the ball was flicked to Kirifi who worked past the stretched defence to score.
Then to add insult to injury, Barrett landed a 58m penalty goal after the halftime hooter to see the Hurricanes to a 20-3 halftime lead.
A midfield scrum in the 60th minute saw Savea make a rare break off the back. He ran hard into space and fed replacement halfback Jamie Booth. He also made ground before passing out with TJ Perenara, now at first five-eighths tipping on to Barrett who back-handed a pass for van Wyk to score his second.
The Chiefs were lucky not to lose captain Sam Cane for a deliberate, late charge on Perenara but only a penalty was awarded. Then Scrafton was only momentarily back on the field before he attempted to stop Damian McKenzie who had taken a tap penalty just out from the Hurricanes line. He hadn't given him 10m and referee Ben O'Keefe awarded a penalty try and because it was Scrafton's second yellow card it was an automatic red card.
Scorers: Chiefs 18 (Lachlan Boshier try; Penalty try; Damian McKenzie 2 pen) Hurricanes 25 (Kobus van Wyk 2, Du'Plessis Kirifi tries; Jordie Barrett 2 con, 2 pen). HT: 3-20
The teams were:
Chiefs: 1.Aidan Ross (replaced by Reuben O'Neill, 57min), 2.Bradley Slater (replaced by Samisoni Taukei'aho, 56min), 3.Nepo Laulala (replaced by Ross Geldenhuys 56min), 4.Mitchell Brown, 5.Naitoa Ah Kuoi (replaced by Tupou Vaa'i 33min), 6.Lachlan Boshier, 7.Sam Cane, 8.Pita Gus Sowakula (replaced by Dylan Nel, 75min), Brad Weber (replaced by Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi 65 mins) 10.Aaron Cruden, 11.Etene Nanai-Seturo, 12.Quinn Tupaea, 13.Tumua Manu (replaced by Solomon Alaimalo 49min), 14.Sean Wainui, 15.Damian McKenzie.
Substitutes not used: 23.Orbyn Leger.
Hurricanes: 1.Fraser Armstrong (replaced by Ben May, 20mins), 2.Dane Coles (captain – replaced by Ricky Riccitelli 68mins), 3.Tyrel Lomax (replaced by Alex Fidow 70min), 4.James Blackwell, 5.Scott Scrafton, 6.Reed Prinsep, 7.Du'Plessis Kirifi (replaced by Vaea Fifita 56min), 8.Ardie Savea, 9.TJ Perenara (captain), 10.Jackson Garden-Bachop (replaced by Jamie Booth 59min), 11.Ben Lam (replaced by Wes Goosen 66min), 12.Ngani Laumape, 13.Peter Umaga-Jensen (replaced by Billy Proctor 72mins), 14.Kobus van Wyk, 15.Jordie Barrett.
Referee: Ben O'Keefe.