After receiving the news this morning that Lauaki, the former Chief and All Black, had passed away at the age of 35, the Chiefs swept all before them in honour of his memory.
Captain Liam Messam was due to fly home after the quarterfinal to support friends and family of Lauaki, but decided the best way to pay tribute was to lead their team to victory.
Despite losing the opening match of the tournament on Saturday to the Melbourne Rebels , the Chiefs thrashed the Panasonic Wild Knights 33-5 on Sunday before beating the Queensland Reds 12-10 in the quarterfinals.
