Chiefs squeeze past Force with a 7-16 win

Force 7-16 Chiefs, NIB Stadium
Scorecard

Chiefs registered their seventh win this season as they squeezed past Force to win their Super Rugby clash by 7-16 at NIB Stadium on Saturday.

Flanker Liam Messam kicked the proceedings for Chiefs with a seventh minute try and Aaron Cruden added the extra to gain a seven point lead.

After almost 22 minutes without a point, Force replied back with a touch down from Matt Hodgson in the 30th minute and Ian Prior added the conversion to take the score 7-7 at half time.

As the game was evenly poised heading into the second half, a calm Cruden added three penalties in the 42nd, 54th and 66th minute while Force failed to any point.

Despite a nine point win, Chiefs continue to remain third in New Zealand Conference but have narrowed down the gap against second placed Hurricanes while Force are in third position in Australian Conference.