Both teams were reduced to 14 men in a very poor game - the Cats after just 38 minutes when lock Willem Stoltz was red carded for kicking and the Chiefs in the last five minutes when loose forward Marty Holah was yellow carded for repeated offences.

Kicking counted. It could have counted by a whole lot more.

The Cats kicked seven penalties, but they missed five and two dropped goals in a match where they dominated possession and territory even when they were down to 14 men for 42 minutes. The whole of the second half they had only 14 men and in all that long half the Chiefs failed to score a single point. They did score the only  try of the match - the only time they looked like scoring a try.

The Cats did not score a try but came close - never closer than after the siren had gone to signal the end of the match. What happened from then on was a moment of madness.

They were winning 21-16 and tried to score a try. Indeed they should have scored a try as Wylie Human ran on an outside arc. Challenged he lobbed a high pass inside to energetic Kleinjan Tromp but it was too high for the burly lock who knocked on with an open line.

This gave the Chiefs the chance to run again in search of victory. Eventually Tiaan Snyman got the ball and managed to restore sanity by footing it out.

The most exciting part of the match happened after the siren had gone!

The Chiefs created many of their own problems. The penalty count was 6-6 in the first half but 11-2 against the Chiefs in the second and with five minutes to go Marty Holah collected a yellow card.

The first half was, one supposes, a game of rugby. There were 15 players on each side - at least for a while. There was a rugby ball. There were things like scrums - shambolic scrums - and line-outs, but of the continuity that is rugby's pride and joy there was precious little.

The Chefs had a moment when they bashed and bashed and eventually got two passes together so that the ball came to Sam Tuitupou who beat four men in a small space to score under the posts. Donald converted and the score was 13-9.

Before that there was some initial running wide by the  Chiefs with Mils Muliaina seemingly able to beat a man at will. Then the rain dropped down from above and the game became bitty.

In this time Tiaan Snyman missed two kicks at goal and scored three - while Stephen Donald, who had opened the scoring with a penalty, kicked two.

The Cats, bless them, tried to run in the rain but they had hardly any pressure points. Jaque Fourie was on the wing and Earl Rose at fullback leaving just Ricky Januarie to look like somebody who could score a try.

The scrums were a mess, especially in the contest between Daniel Muller and Simms Davison with his no-grip jersey. The first three Cats' scrums produced five resets, two free kicks and a penalty - not something to persuade the threadbare crowd to bring their wet bodies back again next week.

Two minutes before half-time disaster struck the Cats as tall lock Willem Scholtz, on the ground, lashed out with a boot to Sione Lauaki. Stoltz was given a red card, the first of Super 14 history.

Just after that Januarie produced the best break of the half, taking his team to the Chiefs' line where the ball went dead and the whistle killed the half.

In the second half Tromp came on for Ernst Joubert to add bulk to a scrum weakened by the absence of Stoltz. Then Lawrence Sephaka came on for Daniel Muller who had had a rickety evening in the scrums.

The second half was much the same as the first except that the Cats' domination grew and grew. 

They made a penalty into a five metre line-out and then, after eschewing the penalty kick at goal, Snyman's heart failed him and he tried a wayward drop.

After Snyman had missed two Wikus van Heerden gave the ball to Earl Rose and the fullback goaled when Tom Willis went in the side. But shortly afterwards, when Holah was penalised, Rose missed. But the score was 16-15 with 14 minutes to play.

Then Holah was penalised again and shown a yellow card and this time Snyman goaled. 18-16.

It was not over. When Bates was penalised for the fourth time in the half, Snyman made it 21-16 with two minutes left.

It was, one supposes, a game of rugby.

Man  of the Match: Mils Muliaina looked the best player on the field but his effort faded with his team's effort.  For the Cats Cobus Grobbelaar got better and better and kept contesting the tackle. But our man of the Match was will 'o the wisp Enrico Januarie who produced more spark than anybody else on the field.

The scorers:

For the Cats:
Pens: Snyman 6, Rose

For the Chiefs:
Try: Tuitupou
Con: Donald
Pens: Donald 3

Yellow card: Marty Holah (Chiefs, 75)
Red card: Willem Stoltz (Cats, 38)

Teams:

Cats: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Ashwin Willemse, 13 Grant Esterhuizen, 12 Wayne Julies, 11 Jaque Fourie, 10 Tiaan Snyman, 9 Enrico Januarie, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Trevor Hall, 3 Daniel Muller, 2 Lukas van Biljon, 1 Pietman van Niekerk.
Replacements: 16 Delarey du Preez, 17 Lawrence Sephaka, 18 KleinJan Tromp, 19 Gerhard Vosloo, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Doppies la Grange, 22 Wylie Human.

Chiefs: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Sosene Anesi, 13 Mark Ranby, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 8 Sione Lauaki, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Steven Bates, 5 Bernie Upton, 4 Kristian Ormsby, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Tom Willis (captain), 1 Simms Davison.
Replacements: 16 Aleki Lutui, 17 Ben Castle, 18 Jono Gibbes, 19 Liam Messam, 20 Byron Kelleher, 21 Loki Crichton, 22 Anthony Tahana.

Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges: Julian Pritchard (Australia), Linston Manuels (South Africa)
Television match official: Christie du Preez (South Africa)
Assessor: Arrie Schoonwinkel (South Africa)