Western Force winger Patrick Dellit scored a double but it wasn’t enough as the Chiefs held on for a scrappy 22-21 Super Rugby victory in Friday night’s clash in Pukekohe.

The Force had the chance to win it in the dying minutes, but flyhalf Sias Ebersohn’s ambitious penalty attempt from 53m out fell well short.

The Chiefs’ only try of the night came through winger Lelia Masaga in the 14th minute, but five penalties and one conversion from flyhalf Aaron Cruden were enough to lift the defending champions to second spot on the table behind the Brumbies.

All Black Cruden was meant to have an easy night on the bench, with coach Dave Rennie eager to give the overworked playmaker a rest.

But when replacement Gareth Anscombe was ruled out with a broken toe before kick-off, the Chiefs were forced to throw Cruden back into the starting line-up.

The Force made a perfect start to the match, with winger Dellit making the most of a horror pass from Matt Hodgson by soccering the ball forward twice before touching down.

The Chiefs looked rusty in the dewy conditions, but were aided by whistle-happy referee Mike Fraser, who penalised the Force seven times in the opening 26 minutes.

Cruden capitalised by nailing four penalties, helping the home side to a 19-11 advantage at the break.

The Force, hampered by the long trek across the Tasman and a six-day turnaround, fought bravely in the second half to take the game right up to the Chiefs.

The sending off of prop Kieran Longbottom for a scrum infringement in the 72nd minute should have been the final death knell for the Force, especially with the Chiefs just five metres away from scoring the match-sealing try.

But the Perth-based franchise refused to give in, winning the ball back and working their way up the field to give themselves a shot of victory.

Ebersohn rolled the dice by opting to take a long-range penalty, but the water-logged ball fell short much to the relief of the Chiefs.