The Chiefs have taken a measure of revenge for their loss in last year's Super Rugby Pacific final with a 33-29 victory over the Crusaders in the opening match of the new season in Hamilton.
Replacement five-eighth Josh Ioane slotted two penalties in the last five minutes to secure the win on Friday after the Crusaders had rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to take a slender advantage with 12 minutes to go.
Some Damian McKenzie magic and tries from flanker Kaylum Boshier, halfback Xavier Roe and electric winger Etene Nanai-Seturo had the cowbells ringing at Waikato Stadium as the Chiefs took a 27-10 lead at halftime.
Starting five-eighth McKenzie limped off just after the break and the Crusaders - chasing an eighth straight Super Rugby title this season - hit back with two tries in three minutes from fullback Chay Fihaki and skipper Scott Barrett, cutting the deficit to 27-22.
The visitors, in their first Super Rugby match under Rob Penney after Scott Robertson's departure to the All Blacks, then looked to trademark Crusaders strengths of scrum power and breakdown physicality to slow the pace of the game.
They were denied a try when referee Nick Berry, who made a similar decision recently to deny Scotland a Six Nations win over France, decided the ball had been held up over the line.
But soon afterwards Fihaki ran a brilliant line and stormed in for a converted try that put the Crusaders in front for the first time at 29-27.
The momentum was firmly with the Crusaders but Nanai-Seturo came up with a brilliant 50-22 that ultimately gave Ioane the chance to give the Chiefs their first points of the second half and wrest back the lead for good.
"It wasn't going to be easy," said Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson. "Took a little bit to get a bit of momentum back but, once we did, we held onto it and managed to get a couple of three-pointers over."
Barrett said the Crusaders made too many errors in the first half.
"When they've got a lethal back three like they have, they carve you up," the All Blacks lock said.
"The effort was there. We'll learn heaps from this and be better going forward."
Chiefs 33 (Boshier, Roe, Nanai-Seturo tries; McKenzie 2, Stevenson cons; McKenzie 2, Ioane 2 pens) def Crusaders 29 (Fihaki 2, Reece, Barrett tries; Reihana 2, Kemara cons; Reihana pens)
Chiefs: 15 Shaun Stevenson, 14 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Luke Jacobson (Captain), 7 Kaylum Boshier, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 3 Reuben O’Neill, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 George Dyer, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Daniel Rona
Crusaders: 15 Chay Fihaki, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Levi Aumua, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Macca Springer, 10 Rivez Reihana, 9 Mitchell Drummond, 8 Cullen Grace, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Dominic Gardiner, 5 Quinten Strange, 4 Scott Barrett (Captain), 3 Tamaiti Williams, 2 George Bell, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Owen Franks, 19 Jamie Hannah, 20 Christian Lio-Willie, 21 Noah Hotham, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Ryan Crotty
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant Referees: Jordan Way, Reuben Keane
