The show of the small men

The Chiefs impressive win over the Bulls on Friday night was a team effort, but two young men in particular stood out.

Coming off the bench for the better part of the season, Augustine Pulu went into the game against the Bulls under pressure despite his status as an All Black member of the side.

Brad Weber has been the form halfback in Super Rugby this year, and it seemed as though Weber had cemented the opening halfback role for the Chiefs for the remainder of the season.

Given his opportunity to start, Pulu didn’t miss a beat.

Pulu gave the Chiefs a lot of go forward ball, he spotted tiny gaps in the Bulls defense and made them bigger, and the two tries were a justified reward for the best game Pulu had played in Chiefs colours.

It will be interesting to see which way Dave Rennie goes for the Highlanders clash in the halfback position.

Damian McKenzie was the other star of the Bulls victory, the youngster had his most exciting game yet in Rotorua.

McKenzie continues to get the attention of rugby lovers with his play style. McKenzie doesn’t say die and he has a flare that can create an attacking play out of nothing on the field.

As McKenzie’s kicking game improves, his agility with ball in hand will prove to counter his size difference compared to every other rugby player in the competition.

McKenzie’s size hasn’t stopped his defense – the first five currently sits on a tackling success rate of over 90%.