HAMILTON, New Zealand — Flyhalf Aaron Cruden kicked 17 points to steer the Waikato Chiefs to an emphatic 37-6 win over South Africa's Sharks in the Super 15 rugby final Saturday. Victory handed the rising franchise its first title and atoned for a crushing defeat in its only other finals appearance three years ago. Cruden slotted conversions of tries to wingers Tim Nanai-Williams and Lelia Masaga, backrower Kane Thompson and departing superstar Sonny Bill Williams. He also added three penalties - seven goals from nine attempts - to take his points tally for the season to 251. “It's a little bit surreal,” Chiefs captain Craig Clarke said. “We were a little bit slow out of the blocks. We were coming off a physical game last week but we got into our work and found our feet.” The Chiefs were in the final for the second time in 17 years, haunted by their last experience, in 2009, when they were beaten 61-17 by the Bulls for the heaviest finals defeat in Super rugby history. They laid that ghost Saturday, dominating the travel-weary Sharks to become only the sixth team to claim a Super rugby championship since 1996. They joined the Canterbury Crusaders (7 titles), the Bulls (3), the Auckland Blues (3), the ACT Brumbies (2) and the Queensland Reds (1) in the honors list. The Chiefs struggled to assert themselves over the Sharks in the first 15 minutes before gradually settling into their game and gaining an overwhelming advantage of possession. Nanai-Williams' opening try in the 19th minute was the turning point of the match. The Sharks had been competitive until that moment and had led 3-0 with a penalty to former French international flyhalf Frederic Michalak. But when Nanai-Williams — a cousin of Sonny Bill Williams — squeezed between defenders to score wide out on the left-hand side and Cruden kicked his first conversion of the night, the momentum of the match changed. The Chiefs gained confidence from having forced a turnover from the Sharks by pursuing Cruden's short kick to fullback Patrick Lambie. They had then been able to quickly regroup and to turn that partial chance into points. From then on, wave after wave of Chiefs' attacks steadily broke down the defensive walls the Sharks had built in the final weeks of the season. They shut down the Sharks' attacking game by taking its ball-runners to ground, preventing the South Africans from developing their driving play. They also rushed up quickly on defense to shut down the Sharks' dangerous backline, denying chances to playmakers Michalak and Lambie and to finishers JP Pietersen and Lwazi Mvovo. Cruden followed his conversion of Nanai-Williams' try with two penalties to give the improving Chiefs a 13-3 lead at halftime. Samoa international Thompson scored immediately after halftime — always a crucial time in a final — and Cruden's additional two points gave the Chiefs a 20-3 lead which was all but unassailable. Michalak added a second penalty in the 51st minute but the Chiefs made the game safe with a breakout try to replacement winger Masage 10 minutes later. Williams created a turnover from a crunching midfield tackle and Masaga picked up the loose ball and dashed 30 meters to score. Williams then marked his final match for the Chiefs — he leaves next month to play in Japan — with a try under the posts four minutes from fulltime. Cruden's conversion was the coup de grace and Waikato was left to celebrate its greatest Super rugby season with the 25,000 fans that packed its intimate home stadium. — AP
