CHIEFS 27 - 20 SUNWOLVES
FULLTIME: After 85 minutes the game is over. The Sunwolves walk away with a bonus point and had to defend their line for two minutes with 13 players. Chiefs win 27-20 in Hamilton.
It is the fourth time against New Zealand teams the Sunwolves have kept their opposition scoreless in the final 20 minutes of the game
83mins: Sunwolves will have to defend again with 13 men....
83mins: RED CARD SUNWOLVES: Jamie-Jerry Taulagitic has also been sent to the bin for a late shot on Shaun Stevenson which sent him falling to the ground.
83mins: YELLOW CARD SUNWOLVES: Derek Carpenter is sent to the bin for a delibrate knock down... We are three minutes into injury time......
83mins: Chiefs win another penalty and Shaun Stevenson is down on the ground. Looked like he got hit in the head. Play is still going on.
80mins: Penalty to the Chiefs on fulltime. They want to deny the Sunwolves a bonus point and get one for themselves. The Sunwolves deserve one so badly!
79mins: I take that back. This is confusing somehow it is no try due to a knock on, but it is a Chiefs scrum... oh well maybe the Chiefs will score here.
78mins: NO TRY! Sunwolves will have one last shot. But have to go the length of the field if they want to secure a draw.
78mins: Shaun Stevenson flies over the line and claims a try but the referee wants to take a look for a potentional knock on.
78mins: Chiefs close to the line again.
77mins: Chiefs five metres from the line, but the Sunwolves turn the ball over.
76mins: Chiefs feed the scrum and it just makes it out. They are just outside the 22. Do they go for a dropgoal?
74mins: PENALTY GOAL SUNWOLVES: Seven point game with six minutes remaining
72mins: Chiefs steal the ball and after a few phases they give away a penalty.
71mins: Sunwolves in a penalty and will kick towards touch.... Another they will have a lineout 20 metres from the line.
70mins: Final 10 minutes, can the Chiefs hold on? or will the Sunwolves pull off a miracle?
67mins: TRY SUNWOLVES: Derek Carpenter scores a wonderful try after some slick passing. Carpenter uses the wet ground to slide over the line. Game on again.
64mins: James Lowe tries another no-look pass but it goes to ground. Sunwolves willl have the scrum 40 metres from the tryline.
63mins: The Sunwolves have the ball just inside their half.
62mins: The Sunwolves usually do well in the final 20 against New Zealand teams. Can they keep the Chiefs to a low score?
60mins: TRY CHIEFS: Fantastic try by the Chiefs. James Lowe throws the ball to Damian McKenzie as he dances his way around the Sunwolves players to score his second of the match.
58mins: The kick goes wide again. Unusual mis my Tamura.
57mins: Sunwolves win a penalty and will go for goal again.
55mins: Looks like Sunwolves fans were happy with Tanaka's try. Sunwolves have the ball inside Chiefs territory.
54mins: Chiefs win a penalty close to the line. They kick towards touch instead of going for goal. Liam Messam makes his way onto the field.
52mins: All of a sudden the Chiefs are close to the line, but the Sunwolves turn the ball over. Poor clearance kick and the Chiefs are right back on the attack.
50mins: The Sunwolves knock the ball forward. Scrum to the Chiefs. Uwe Helu comes on.
48mins: The penalty goal goes wide.
47mins: Another penalty to the Sunwolves and they will go for goal.
47mins: Hayden Cripps is off and is replaced by Yu Tamura
46mins: TRY SUNWOLVES: Well deserved to try from the Sunwolves as Fumiaki Tanaka scores the try by putting the ball on the goalpost. I was yelling at the screen telling him to do it and it looks like he heard me. Game on in Hamilton.
44mins: Kane Hames penalised against the scrum. How has he not been carded yet? It is at least his fourth. Sunwolves opt forn another scrum.
43mins: Another scrum reset.....
41mins: Chiefs go backwards and the home side drop the ball. Sunwolves have a scrum five from the tryline.
40mins: The second half is underway in Hamilton. Cheifs with the first use of the ball.
HALFTIME: Mixed first half from the Chiefs, but they still lead 20-3 at the break.
39mins: TRY CHIEFS: Damian McKenzie scores the try. It shouldn't have been a try cause the Sunwolves should have stopped him but the wet pitch plays it part and the fullback slides over just before halftime.
38mins: Aaron Cruden smashes the ball downfield off a penalty and it fails to find touch. Looking at the coahcing boxes and Dave Rennie does not look too pleased with the Chiefs opening 40 minutes.
37mins: Jamie-Jerry Taulagi is now on the field for the Sunwolves.
36mins: Chiefs have a scrum 40 from the Sunwolves line. It looks like Goto will head off during the next stoppage.
34mins: Chiefs with all the momentum. They win a penalty and Aaron Cruden clears the ball into touch. Teruya Goto is down injured in his second Super Rugby match.
32mins: PENALTY GOAL CHIEFS: It is now a 10 point lead for the Chiefs as Damian McKenzie lands his first penalty goal of the match.
30mins: Chiefs make another mistake but the referee had a penalty advantage and the Chiefs will go for the points.
29mins: Chiefs make a mistake and the Sunwolves will have a scrum. That was their third error of the match.
27mins: Tom Sanders makes a great break through the middle of the field and throws the pass back-in-field to Aaron Cruden but it doesn't go to hand.
25mins: Chiefs knock the ball on at the restart. Sunwolves scrum.
23mins: TRY CHIEFS: Fantastic work from the Chiefs backs and Northland fullback Solomon Alaimalo scores the try. What a moment for Alaimalo. McKenzie misses the conversion.
21mins: Taleni Seu makes a break for the Chiefs and they are inside the Sunwolves 22. Dominic Bird follows it up with a strong carry. Chiefs win a penalty.
20mins: PENALTY GOAL SUNWOLVES: Hayden Cripps scores the first points of the night for the Sunwolves.
18mins: Teruya Goto makes a magnificent run after Willie Britz throws a perfect offload and they win another penalty. Surely the referee will have a word to Cruden and Cane shortly.
17mins: Time is off and Ito is up and being escorted off the field. Looks like a rib injury. Takuma Asahara is now on.
16mins: Massive scrum by the Chiefs and they win a penalty. Great strong push by the home side.... Heiichiro Ito is down injured. Might have been a reason why the Chiefs dominated the scrum.
16mins: Another penalty to the Sunwolves.... You have to say the Sunwolves have been the better side to start the game.
15mins: Once again it is taking forever for the Scrum to set and the referee is sick of it and has a word to both captains to sort it out!
13mins: Another penalty to the Sunwolves. The Chiefs have now given away four straight. The Sunwolves will go for a scrum. They might be small, but they know how to scrum.
11mins: The Sunwolves go over the line and it looks like they have a try... But the referee says that they are held up. So they have an attacking scrum.
10mins: The away side goes close to scoring but win a penalty. Instead of going for the points the kick towads touch.
8mins: Accidental offside from the Chiefs at the lineout and that gives the Sunwolves possession. They are close to the Chiefs 22 again....
They go backwards but Hayden Cripps makes a break and now they are five from the tryline.
6mins: Sunwolves have the ball and are close to the Chiefs 22. But fantastic work from Jonathan Taumateine at the ruck forces a turnover and the Chiefs will clear it away into Sunwolves territory.
4mins: McKenzie missess the easy conversion.
3mins: TRY CHIEFS: Hika Elliot scores his fourth try of the season. Easy try as he powers his way over.
3mins: Been waiting for a minute now for this scrum to set......
2mins: Chiefs win a penalty five metres from the line and they will go for the scrum.
1min: Poor clearance kick by Hayden Cripps as the ball travels backwards and they Chiefs are on the attack early.
KICKOFF: We are underway in Hamilton. The Chiefs get the match started.
7:33pm: This Sunwolves after the first team out on the field. Chiefs are heading out as I type this.
7:30pm: It has been raining in Hamilton, but it has stopped for the moment. The pitch is wet and ball handling will be key for both sides tonight.
Hello and welcome to live updates of the Chiefs hosting the Sunwolves at FMG Stadium in Hamilton.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. VIDEO will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
Commentary will start from around 7:30pm (NZT). In the meantime check out the video above as Dave Rennie talks about the Changes in the Chiefs squad.
Lineups
Chiefs
1. Kane Hames, 2. Hika Elliot, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Dominic Bird, 5. Taleni Seu, 6. Tom Sanders, 7. Mitchell Karpik, 8 Sam Cane (cc), 9. Jonathan Taumateine, 10. Aaron Cruden (cc), 11. Sam McNicol, 12. Stephen Donald, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Solomon Alaimalo, 15. Damian McKenzie
Reserves - 16. Brayden Mitchell, 17. Aidan Ross, 18. Sosefo Kautai, 19. Mitchell Brown, 20. Liam Messam, 21. Alex Nankivell, 22. Shaun Stevenson, 23. James Lowe
Sunwolves
1. Keita Inagaki, 2. Takeshi Kizu, 3. Heiichiro Ito, 4. Shinya Makabe, 5. Sam Wykes, 6. Edward Quirk (c), 7. Shunsuke Nunomaki, 8. Willie Britz, 9. Fumiaki Tanaka, 10. Hayden Cripps, 11. Yasutaka Sasakura, 12. Derek Carpenter, 13. William Tupou, 14. Teruya Goto, 15. Kotaro Matsushima
Reserves - 16. Yusuke Niwai, 17. Koki Yamamoto, 18. Takuma Asahara, 19. Uwe Helu, 20. Rahboni Warren Vosayaco, 21. Yuki Yatomi, 22. Yu Tamura, 23. Jamie-Jerry Taulagi
Match facts and stats
Referee: Will Houston (Aus)
Assistants: Brendon Pickerill (NZ), Richard Kelly (NZ)
TMO: Ben Skeen (NZ)
This will be the first game between these teams, though it will be the third and final game of the Sunwolves’ first ever tour to New Zealand.
The Chiefs have won their last five games on home soil, the last time they went on a longer home winning streak was a run of nine from 2013 to 2014.
In fact, the Chiefs have won 20 of their last 23 games at home against teams from outside New Zealand, those wins coming by an average margin of 15 points.
In fact, the Japanese side have conceded 90 points already in their tour of New Zealand so far from just two games.
The Chiefs have stolen 17 lineouts this campaign, the equal most of any team in the competition (level with the Kings).
The Sunwolves have lost just 2.9 rucks per game this season, the fewest of any team, and boast a league-high 96% ruck success rate.
Past meetings
Head to head: This is the first meeting between the Chiefs and the Sunwolves.
TAB odds: Chiefs - $1.01 Sunwolves - $15.00
Pre-match banter - Chiefs make nine changes for Super Rugby clash with the Sunwolves
The Chiefs have rung in the changes for their first ever Super Rugby clash with the Sunwolves in Hamilton on Saturday.
Head coach Dave Rennie has switched up his tight five with Kane Hames, Hika Elliot and Nepo Laulala to start the match in the front row, while Test star Brodie Retallick has been replaced by Taleni Seu at lock.
Mitchell Karpik wins his second start of the season at openside with co-captain Sam Cane rotating to No.8, while Tom Saunders gets his chance at blindside.
Counties halfback Jonathan Taumateine will also make his first appearance in the Chiefs No.9 jumper, inside Aaron Cruden.
In the midfield, veteran Stephen Donald is back at second-five, where he will partner Test midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown.
Sam McNicol returns to the left wing after a brief stint in the midfield, while Northland fullback Solomon Alaimalo gets his second start of the season on the opposite flank and Damian McKenzie lines up at fullback.
Surprisingly, Japanese captain Michael Leitch has been rested for the match against his compatriots and future teammates, who have won just the single 2017 Super Rugby match.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are equal second with the Hurricanes in the New Zealand conference, three points behind the unbeaten Crusaders.
