Highlanders dig deep to steal last-gasp victory AT A GLANCE

The Highlanders’ season is up and running with a try from replacement loose forward Teariki Ben-Nicholas after the final whistle securing a gritty 23-22 win against the Brumbies in Canberra last night.

Clearly stung by the loss to the Sharks last week, the Highlanders were much more physical and smart with their game management, while lock Josh Dickson got through a mountain of good work.

Their refusal to die in the final minutes while trailing on the scoreboard spoke volumes about their character and following a crucial turnover by James Lentjes they laid siege to the Brumbies line before BenNicholas crashed over.

The Highlanders also had to contend with the sin binning of Sio Tomkinson, who was sent off for a high contact on Wallabies fullback Tom Banks early in the second half, and two costly missed penalties from Josh Ioane.

The 14-man Highlanders didn’t

Highlanders 23

(Jona Nareki, Teariki Ben-Nicholas tries, Josh Ioane 3 pen, 2 con)

(Folau Fainga’a (3) tries, Noah Lolesio con, Ryan Lonergan pen, con) 13-12

22

HT:

bt Brumbies

concede a point when Tomkinson was off the field.

But they had no answer to the Brumbies’ driving maul – a weapon that is almost unstoppable under the current laws – and conceded three tries to Brumbies hooker Folau Fainga’a, including two in the first half-hour.

However, Jona Nareki struck back right after Fainga’a’s second try, with the livewire wing charging down a kick from Brumbies No 10 Noah Lolesio to collect his second five-pointer in his first two Super Rugby games.

In greasy conditions in Canberra there were few chances for the wide men.

That meant the Highlanders had to roll up their sleeves to get the job done and they did exactly that.