Mike Delany's short-term goal is to be the best first-five in the Chiefs - though when his chief rival is an All Black, it comes with certain implications.

The Bay of Plenty pivot provided some of the few sparks on a sultry Rotorua evening last night as the Chiefs beat the Highlanders 36-19 in a pre-season match.

With All Black Stephen Donald still resting from the end-of-year tour, Delany showed no let-up in last year's provincial momentum, with a sharp eye for the break and some tactical acumen as the Chiefs went wide where possible.

With quality first-fives thin on the ground in New Zealand, Delany's ambitions are simple - keep incumbent Donald honest and leave all other matters to the selectors.

"I'll take things as they come - I'm just hoping for a good year and to learn heaps and to put as much pressure on Donald as I can," Delany said, with 60 minutes of sweat pouring from his brow.

He scored a try last night and set up another with his stepping ability, after coach Ian Foster gave him his second start in as many weeks following last week's clash with the Blues.

"It's good for me - I'm getting plenty of minutes on the park and getting accustomed to playing with these guys and taking some responsibility as well by calling the shots.

"I'll take my chances where I can and it's good that Fozzy has given me a couple of starts to show what I can do."

Wary of some abject season starts under his tenure, Foster has focused on creating competition within his enlarged squad, which will culminate with a three-day camp in Taupo next week and an internal squad match.

Already he's unearthed some prospective bolters, singling out another Bay of Plenty product, flanker Luke Braid.

"We've been running with about 40 players when you take the squad and all the wider training group," Foster said.

"It's a deliberate move to get a lot of the talented kids involved from around the franchise and the two pre-season games have been good for giving them a taste of that.

"Luke Braid in particular has played very well with the time he's had and it's been a good development process for them.

"In some ways, you hope you don't need them during the season but the flip side is that at least they've been in there and in the groove."

All Blacks Sitiveni Sivivatu, Richard Kahui, Liam Messam and Hika Elliot all got game time for the Chiefs last night, as did troubled loose forward Sione Lauaki, whose late break gifted a try for replacement halfback David Bason to seal the result.

The Highlanders concentrated heavily on their set-piece play but ironically it was their wings who created all the chances. They took a 12-0 early lead after Pehi Te Whare sparked a Steven Setephano try, and right wing Lucky Mulipola poached an 80m intercept.

Delany's inventiveness and some industrious work by rangy wider training group wing Tim Mikkelson proved crucial, and although Te Whare added a second-half try to level the scores at 19-all, that only served to open the gates.

Another Delany break saw former Highlanders halfback Toby Morland score, while Mikkelson and midfielder Dwayne Sweeney also crossed.

Scorers: Chiefs 36 (Mike Delany, Lelia Masaga, Toby Morland, Tim Mikkelson, David Bason, Dwayne Sweeney tries; Delany 2 con, Callum Bruce con) Highlanders 19 (Steven Setephano, Lucky Mulipola, Pehi Te Whare tries; Mat Berquist con, Daniel Bowden con). Halftime: 12-12.