Damian McKenzie the early leader in All Blacks race after another fine showing

Dylan Coetzee
Damian McKenzie on the charge for the Chiefs against the Brumbies.

Damian McKenzie on the charge for the Chiefs against the Brumbies.

Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie put in another excellent performance as he powered his team to a dominant 46-12 win over the Brumbies in Super Rugby Pacific.

With the All Blacks fly-half spot up for grabs after the departure of Richie Mo’unga, McKenzie’s performances have come into the spotlight and yet another blockbuster showing surely has him in the driving seat for the position.

His efforts against the Brumbies were typified by a beautiful try started and finished by McKenzie. The play begins in the opponent’s half as a long throw from the lineout is run onto by the fly-half, who plays it subtly inside to Etene Nanai-Saturo, before the wing hands it back to McKenzie for the slick score.

An important leader

Outside of that, the fly-half marshalled the clash incredibly well and the collective efforts underlined the Chiefs’ title credentials.

Skipper Luke Jacobson heaped praise on McKenzie for taking charge of the Super Rugby Pacific clash and felt the side deserved their win.

“He’s huge for us, he’s a very experienced campaigner,” Jacobson said.

“We’ve got some good leaders in the team, but he really steps up and just owns the attack.

“Really happy with how we went. Last week we probably had one half, played really good footie, and dropped off big-time in the second half,” he said.

“So really proud with how the boys stayed at it for the full 80 (minutes).”

The Chiefs played on the final day of the Super Round in Melbourne – a concept with mixed views and one that McKenzie feels is exciting and has potential with all the teams in one city at the same time.

The Sunday action also saw huge drama with the clash between the Hurricanes and the Reds level at full-time. In the end, the New Zealanders bagged the golden point win in extra time.

READ MORE: WATCH: Hurricanes claim dramatic GOLDEN POINT win over Reds

Brumbies Damian McKenzie

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