The Chiefs can enjoy their Easter weekend after claiming a physically absorbing 23-16 win over nearby rivals the Blues at Waikato Stadium overnight.

Chiefs versus Blues at Waikato Stadium. Photos by: Tracy Hardy.

Heading into the bye week, the Chiefs aimed to construct another strong performance as well as bank further competition points in a competitive New Zealand conference.

It was clear from the outset that both teams were attempting to run with ball in hand as each had open space to work with early on.

As the Chiefs appeared to settle into their work, the Blues were having trouble with their discipline as first five-eighth Aaron Cruden calmly slotted a penalty after 17 minutes into the contest.

From the resulting kickoff the Waikato Stadium crowd rose when winger Tom Marshall wriggled his way past the Blues defence and then nudging ahead for teammate Augustine Pulu who went within a touch of scoring.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs halfback he wasn't able to ground the ball as the Blues survived conceding further points.

Eventually the first five-pointer of the night came as a result of superb ball control when the Chiefs continued to batter the Blues try line.

After stringing together a number of phases with the forwards inching closer, the opportunity came when captain Liam Messam found winger James Lowe lurking on his inside and then crashing over for the try for a 10-0 lead.

The Blues were able to post points of their own through the boot of first five Dan Bowden who reduced the margin to 10-3 going into the half time interval.

Needing a lift in the second half, the Blues didn't need to look far for inspiration when captain Jerome Kaino bulldozed his way through from the base of the scrum for a try.

Bowden's conversion brought the scores level before another chance to breakout by the visitors deep in their own half saw them earn a penalty which the Blues number 10 knocked over for their first lead of the game.

With the Chiefs looking to play more within the opposition's half, Cruden was able to bring his side back on level terms with a penalty kick.

In what proved to be a pivotal moment of the match, the Blues looked to be hot on attack before a turnover saw Chiefs number 8 Michael Leitch storm down field to set up the Chiefs attack.

Moments later, the Chiefs capitalised on a defensive lapse by the Blues as Marshall capped off an excellent performance by slicing through for the crucial go ahead try.

The task was made even more difficult for the Blues when Cruden cashed in on his third penalty to give his side some breathing space on the scoreboard late in the game.

With the result seemingly out of reach as time expired, the Blues battled away and were awarded with the penalty which replacement Ihaia West converted as the Chiefs picked up the all important win.

Afterwards Chiefs halfback Augustine Pulu said he and the team were under no illusions about tonight's encounter and that it would be no easy walk in the park.

"We knew it was going to be a tough match out there with the Blues coming down," he said.

"It's always a good battle, we knew it was going to be fast and these guys have their threats out wide and they'll be looking to play."

Pulu said they had to take care of the little things to come away with the desired result but gave credit to the Blues on another physical battle.

"This week was a little bit different knowing that these guys have their backs against the wall. We knew we had to try and control every collision and those little things that are going to win the game."

"We were blessed to get that win, they [Blues] played really outstanding tonight."

Looking forward, Pulu said the bye week had come as a welcomed reward after a grinding start to the season. But he stressed there was no room to relax with massive games still ahead.

"You can't ask for more, the boys have been on the chop for about nine weeks straight.

"There's a lot of sore bodies, I think this is a time for us to I guess not relax but get our niggles right, recondition our bodies getting ready for the mid-season."

The Chiefs will now go into the bye week with a valiant performance behind them, before they begin preparing again for a tough trip to Christchurch to take on the Crusaders on Friday 17 April with kickoff at 7.35pm.

Score Summary.

Chiefs: 23 (Lowe, Marshall tries; Cruden 3 pen, 2 con)

Blues: 16 (Kaino try; Bowden 2 pen, con, West pen)

As it Happened.

Minute. Match Detail. Score.

17. Cruden pen. 3-0

27. Lowe try. 8-0

28. Cruden con. 10-0

33. Bowden pen. 10-3

Half time.

46. Kaino try. 10-8

48. Bowden con. 10-10

53. Bowden pen. 10-13

58. Cruden pen. 13-13

67. Marshall try. 18-13

68. Cruden con. 20-13

74. Cruden pen. 23-13

80. West pen. 23-16

Full time.