Late penalty gives Highlanders win over Reds as Chiefs down Waratahs
Crusaders outmuscle Hurricanes to tighten grip on top spot
WELLINGTON: Lima Sopoaga kicked a penalty with two minutes remaining to give the Otago Highlanders a narrow 18-15 win over Queensland in their Super Rugby clash in Brisbane yesterday.
Earlier, the Chiefs downed the Waratahs 39-27 in Hamilton in another good day for New Zealand Super Rugby sides. The Reds and Highlanders were locked at 15-all after a torrid arm wrestle between two evenly matched sides when lock Izack Rodda was penalised for a high tackle right in front of the posts.
Sopoaga stepped up and made no mistake to give the visitors their first win in Brisbane in five matches. “In phases we did some good stuff but we also did some stuff that let us down, as we’ve done all season, but I’ll take that win any day of the week,” Highlanders captain Ash Dixon said.
“The message was to keep it simple, be direct and hold on to the ball as much as we could.” In a match that failed to reach any great heights as a spectacle, the Highlanders’ superior kicking game proved the difference between the two teams.
Sopoaga and scrum half Kayne Hammington put the Reds under enormous pressure with their kicking from general play whereas the Queensland kicking lacked penetration and accuracy. Both sides scored two tries apiece, one in each half, with Sopoaga’s late penalty proving the difference.
“I think we did everything we could to lose that in the back end of the match,” a frustrated Reds captain Scott Higginbotham said. “It was just a case of too many simple errors.” The Reds led 10-8 at the break and then skipped away to a 15-8 lead when fullback Hamish Stewart crossed five minutes after the restart.
But All Blacks flanker Liam Squires barged over with 20 minutes remaining to level the scores. The Highlanders launched a wave of attacks but Queensland looked like holding on for a draw until Rodda’s clumsy tackle.
Canterbury Crusaders outmuscled Wellington Hurricanes in a top-of-the-table Super Rugby clash Friday for a 24-13 win that puts them in pole position to qualify in top spot for the finals.
Meanwhile, Jaguares defeated Coastal Sharks 29-13 in Buenos Aires for a sixth straight win and Melbourne Rebels triumphed 40-13 at home to Sunwolves in other round 15 matches.
Crusaders scored three tries to one in driving rain, with the conditions forcing two of the competition’s most potent attacking sides into an arm-wrestle.
“We knew what the conditions would be and we had a plan for it. Credit to the boys-they stuck to it and were disciplined,” Crusaders captain Matt Todd said.
Hurricanes and Crusaders have traded the New Zealand conference lead all season, but the reigning champions’ victory in Christchurch could prove
It was just a case of too many simple errors
decisive.
It snaps a 10-match winning streak for the Hurricanes and extends Crusaders’ run to nine consecutive victories, putting them on 50 points to Hurricanes’ 45. “It wasn’t pretty at times but we just did what we had to, looking after the ball and keeping the scoreboard ticking over,” Todd said.
Hurricanes skipper Brad Shields said the Wellington team’s season was far from over after only two losses in 12 matches. “This could be a turning point for us, maybe it’s something that we needed,” he said. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and make sure we do better next week.”Scott Barrett made the breakthrough for Crusaders in the 23rd minute, forcing his way over from a lineout drive, with Richie Mo’unga adding the conversion. Jordie Barrett hit back for the Hurricanes with a long-range penalty, then Beauden Barrett kicked another just before half-time to make it 7-6 to the home side at the break.
A Mo’unga penalty opened the second-half scoring and he converted tries by Michael Alaalatoa and Heiden Bedwell-Curtis as the hosts took control at 24-6.
CHIEFS DOWN WARATAHS
In Hamilton, a late try by Damian McKenzie sealed a 39-27 bonus-point victory for the Chiefs over the Waratahs. The crucial McKenzie try, his second in the match, came after the final hooter when the Waratahs were desperately trying to haul in a five-point deficit.
There were nine tries in the high-paced game, six to the Chiefs who led 19-14 at half-time and now move to fifth on the overall ladder.
The Waratahs, denied a bonus point by McKenzie’s late try, were left clinging to a one-point lead in the Australian conference.
A week ago the Waratahs were celebrating after snapping a 40-match losing streak by Australian sides against New Zealand rivals when they thrashed the Otago Highlanders 41-12. The confidence flowed into their start in Hamilton when they chalked up 14 points in quicker than even time with Bernard Foley converting tries by Cam Clarke and Curtis Rona which were both the result of Kurtley Beale’s vision.