Dave Rennie's men powered home with three tries in the final 15 minutes to beat the Cheetahs 39-33 in Bloemfontein on Sunday morning (NZT), which was their sixth consecutive win after they lost 23-19 to the Highlanders in round one.
Despite the fact the Chiefs were playing at altitude in South Africa they appeared to have more fuel in the tank than the Cheetahs and first-five Aaron Cruden said the side had worked hard on their fitness all year.
"With 15 to go the scores were level and the Cheetahs were probably picking up a bit of momentum in that match but we were able to talk about that as a team and pick up the tempo of the game,'' Cruden said.
"We were able to score two quick tries and they couldn't stay with us. The boys are working really hard off the field and doing a lot of extras to try and pick up our aerobic [fitness] level and I think it's starting to pay off in the end of the matches.''
The Chiefs round-out their three-game road trip to Australia and South Africa with a tough clash against the Sharks at King's Park in Durban at 3.05am on Sunday morning. (NZT)
The Sharks, who are a better side than their eighth-place standing on the ladder suggests, are returning from their own trip Down Under after they toppled the Blues 29-23 at Eden Park last Friday.
As the Chiefs eye a record-breaking seventh win on the bounce, Cruden said those sky-high fitness levels could be the difference in Durban as the Sharks face a lengthy journey home this week.
"I think it's always hard for teams when they have a long trip back from New Zealand to South Africa or vice-versa. So we've talked about that, but we still want to go out there and put these guys under pressure early.''
Cruden, who has nine test caps for the All Blacks to his name, has been the form pivot of the competition this year, but in his humble way said the men up front were the reason behind his strong form.
"I've been pretty happy with how I've been building throughout the season. But I've got to credit the way the forwards have really stood up. They're making it a lot easier for us as a back line to function.
"We're getting some quality ball off our set piece and they're always striving to get better each week, and that does certainly help a flyhalf if the forwards are going forward and getting us quality ball. I'm happy with how things are going but I still think I can get a lot better.''
Aside from their fitness, defence has also been the cornerstone of the Chiefs' surge this season and the side has conceded the second-lowest number of points this season; 136 in seven games and only the Stormers (126) have been more miserly in defence.
Chiefs' forwards coach Tom Coventry said the squad had came through the weekend largely unscathed.
"It's probably been the best week for not picking up injuries,'' Coventry said.
"So we're all in pretty good shape. There's a few niggles as you'd expect but I think they're all pretty manageable. So we've pretty much got a full squad to select from.''
Following this weekend's game the Chiefs return to New Zealand where they will host the Hurricanes in Hamilton on April 28.
