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NSW held an unlikely 14-13 lead at halftime against the Chiefs in Wollongong, but it was all downhill from there as they were hammered 51-14 in Super Rugby.

NSW Waratahs coach Rob Penney slammed his players after an abysmal second-half performance against the Chiefs on Friday which saw them lose 51-14.

The Waratahs were ahead at halftime against in the Super Rugby fixture in Wollongong, and just 25 minutes after the break found themselves 32 points behind.

They never recovered.

NSW was shocking in the second half, conceding six tries and 38 unanswered points as the Chiefs won for the first time in NSW since 2007.

"It was 51 points, crikey. There's some pretty brutal terms being used to describe what that second half looked like," Penney said.

"It's very concerning. How does that happen?

"There were six clean drops in that second half where we just turned over ball inexplicably, and we've got good players doing it.

"Through the hands and off the chest. That happens through a bit of pressure I guess but it's not acceptable and it's just embarrassing.

"It's really tough on our supporters and the people that believe in these boys.

"It's just not acceptable. We got bullied off the ball. We went in soft and high.

"You can train until the cows come home but if you don't want to put your body in a tough position or your head in a hard position ... it looks vulnerable."

It was the most points the Chiefs have scored away against NSW, the second-most ever in Australia and their biggest win anywhere against the Waratahs.

The bonus-point victory saw the Chiefs jump from seventh to first on the competition ladder.

NSW led 14-13 at halftime before All Blacks and Chiefs halfback Brad Weber stunned the Waratahs with two tries in two minutes after the break.

The onslaught continued through Sean Wainui, Lachlan Boshier, Solomon Alaimalo and Anton Lienert-Brown who also scored second-half tries.

The Chiefs ran with the wind and had all the momentum early in the opening spell on the back of a 6-1 penalty count as Aaron Cruden slotted two penalties and Shaun Stevenson scored for a 13-0 lead.

But the Waratahs rallied and stormed back into the contest as Karmichael Hunt set up fill-in skipper Kurtley Beale to score on 25 minutes.

Hunt also set up their second try after he took a crash ball and managed to transfer possession to Jack Dempsey who crossed out wide.

Consecutive conversions from rookie No. 10 Will Harrison gave the Waratahs an unlikely lead in the 33rd minute.

But it was all downhill from there as the relentless Chiefs kept NSW scoreless in the second half while piling on 38 straight points to secure an emphatic victory.

"It's been a long time since we've won against the Waratahs in Australia so we wanted to put that right," Chiefs coach Warren Gatland said.

"But yeah 38 unanswered points in the second half is a pretty good effort."