Strange competition but Highlanders make another final
FOR once, the Crusaders did not break Highlanders fans’ hearts.
And it was a closerun thing, because this one had heartbreak written all over it.
Leicester Fainga’anuku had grounded the ball over the tryline on Saturday night with just minutes left.
It was a try that would give the Crusaders a conversion to beat the Rebels by the 33 points they needed to surpass the Highlanders.
But on review, the try was ruled out, the winger being pulled up for a double movement. And with that, the Highlanders clinched a spot in the final.
Well, in a final at least.
It is hard to know what to make of it.
Is Saturday’s Super Rugby TransTasman final against the Blues in Auckland the final?
Or was the real final the Super Rugby Aotearoa one that the Crusaders won in May?
It is a strange situation, and the TransTasman competition — dominated by the New Zealand teams with embarrassing ease — really is a weird format. But in all honesty, who cares? The Highlanders are playing in a final for just the third time in their history.
Who would have predicted that four months, or even four weeks, ago?
On paper, they did not look like a team set to challenge the likes of the Crusaders and the Blues.
They have had to deal with an injurycursed year, a head coach leaving for Japan and a handful of offfield dramas.
But they claimed several scalps in the Aotearoa competition and went unbeaten through the TransTasman season.
The Highlanders completed that run with a 3312 win over the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday night, a fantastic result to take into the decider.
INTO the final and off to Auckland.
Saturday’s Super Rugby TransTasman results were enough to secure the Highlanders a spot in the decider against the Blues this Saturday night.
That came as a result of the Crusaders falling just short of the 32 points they needed to beat the Rebels by to go past the Highlanders.
It was a closerun thing, though.
Their 5226 win gave them a 26point margin — which nearly became more when Leicester Fainga’anuku grounded the ball with minutes to play.
However, he was ruled to have made a double play at the line and the Crusaders came up short.
That left the Blues needing to win to reach the final, which they did as they toppled the Force 3121 at Eden Park.
All three of the Blues, Highlanders and Crusaders finished undefeated on 23 points.
The Blues took top spot and finals hosting rights with a points differential of +119, while the Highlanders’ +103 edged the Crusaders by six.
The Chiefs claimed a 407 win over the Waratahs in Sydney in dead rubber to finish the roundrobin.
OTAGO Boys’ High School came from behind to claim another tight win, 2120 over John McGlashan College, at Littlebourne on Saturday.
McGlashan had taken the lead 2014, through a brilliant counterattacking try after a poor kickchase from Otago Boys’.
However, Otago Boys’ worked its way back into the game and hammered away at the McGlashan line for the majority of the last 15 minutes.
Eventually, standout prop
Petelo Amato crashed over.
Oscar Anderson then added the extras to give Otago Boys’ a onepoint lead.
There was still time left, though, and John McGlashan was awarded a sideline penalty.
However, that fell short and Otago Boys’ escaped.
Otago Boys’ coach Regan Turoa said McGlashan had the better of the early running.
It led 130 after defending well and playing for territory.
Midway through the game, Otago Boys’ captain Semisi Taeiloa Tupou was injected, the No 8 having not started as he was carrying an injury.
Turoa felt his introduction had been influential in turning the game and the side clawed ahead at 1413, before the teams exchanged their final two tries.
The result reinforced how tight this year’s Otago Premier Schools competition is among the top four teams.
It was Otago Boys’ second close win — it beat King’s High School 1917 — while it also lost to Southland Boys’ High School, which in turn had lost to McGlashan.
In the other premiership matches, Southland Boys’ beat
St Kevin’s College 3311 and King’s High School claimed a big 630 win over Dunstan High School.
In the championship, Mount Aspiring College beat Waitaki Boys’ High School 1510, and South Otago won 5714 over Wakatipu High School.