Winger Dwayne Sweeney scored three tries as the Waikato Chiefs came back from 19-point deficit to beat South Africa's Lions 36-29 in Super 14 rugby on Saturday.

Springboks centre Jaque Fourie scored twice for the Lions, who built a 22-10 lead by halftime and banked a bonus point with a fourth try that gave them a 29-10 lead after 52 minutes.

The Chiefs rallied with two late tries to Sweeney, who had also scored in the first half, and with tries to replacement winger Jackson Willison and hooker Hikawera Elliot.

Elliot's try in the 70th minute gave them the lead and a four-try bonus point and Sweeney's final try sealed their win seven minutes from fulltime.

"It was very tough. I think the Lions came out and really go stuck into us tonight," Waikato captain Mils Muliaina said. "We still had belief in ourselves even when we were 19 points down."

The lead changed hands twice in the first half. The Lions took an early 7-0 advantage with a try to halfback Jano Vermaak but the Chiefs fought back with Sweeney's first try and a penalty to five-eighth Stephen Donald.

Fourie's first try reclaimed the lead for the Lions in the 26th minute and his second, after a dropped goal to five-eighth Andre Pretorius, gave the South Africans a 22-10 lead at halftime.

An intercept try to replacement Earl Rose put the Lions ahead 29-10, and clinched their four-try bonus point, 12 minutes into the second half but from that point on the Chiefs took charge to post their fifth straight win.

Sweeney sawed into the lead with his second try after 59 minutes and Willison's 66th-minute try cut the margin to only five points.

Elliot barged across through a steadily tiring defence in the 70th minute, giving the Chiefs the lead for the first time in more than 40 minutes.

When Sweeney won the race to Callum Bruce's kick into the in-goal area in the 73rd minute, the Chiefs' win was guaranteed.

The Lions looked good for the first three quarters of the match but the effects of a tough travel schedule showed and they wilted noticeably in the last quarter.

"I think in the first half we stuck to what we wanted to do but in the second we went away from that," Fourie said.

"To play in New Zealand you have to get into a fight, get stuck into it and get physical. That's what we did but it wasn't enough tonight."

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