Highlanders too smart for Chiefs, close in on Canes

THE Highlanders outsmarted the Chiefs to move into second place in the New Zealand conference with a crushing 36-9 victory in their Super 15 clash in Invercargill yesterday.

On a foggy, damp night the Highlanders subjected Chiefs to a barrage of high kicks, forcing handling errors and gaining a territorial advantage that delivered a four-try bonus-point win.

They led 11-3 at half time and rammed home the advantage in the second spell as the Chiefs failed to find a way to counter the intense pressure.

The 10th win lifted the Highlanders to within nine points of the Hurricanes and offers a chance to overtake the competition leaders, beaten 35-18 by the Crusaders on Friday.

The Highlanders led 11-3 at half time with a try to Patrick Osborne before pulling away with the game in the second spell with further tries to Waisake Naholo, Richard Buckman and Ben Smith.

Naholo’s brilliant solo effort just after the break built the buffer the Highlanders had been looking for after the Chiefs mounted a concerted effort in the closing stages of the first spell to narrow the gap.

The giant winger took the ball as first receiver from a lineout on the halfway line and ploughed through a wilting defence on a 55-metre run.

The Highlanders had opened with two penalties by Lima Sopoaga to one by Damian McKenzie for the Chiefs, before Osborne crossed for his try after a long build-up that began when the Highlanders turned down a shot at goal and went for a lineout drive.

The forwards were held up forcing scrumhalf Aaron Smith to bring the backs into play, with the ball sent from side to side across the ground until the Chiefs’ defence cracked.

The Chiefs were denied a chance to close the gap at the end of the half when they turned penalties into lineout drives three times only to fall short of turning them into points.

Fullback Damian McKenzie went closest when he dived on the ball over the tryline after a chip kick by his flyhalf brother Marty McKenzie.

But after replays the television match official ruled that Damian McKenzie did not have sufficient control of the ball.

Three minutes into the second half Naholo’s try converted by Sopoaga lifted the Highlanders to an 18-3 lead and their confidence grew.

McKenzie landed two more

Crushing win at Invercargill puts Otago men second in NZ conference

penalties for the Chiefs to close the gap to 18-9, before Sopoaga added two more penalties and converted the tries by Buckman and Smith to finish with a personal match tally of 16 points.

In Perth, the Reds welcomed back the brilliance of Quade Cooper with a commanding 32-10 win over the Western Force in their Super 15 clash yesterday.

It was a battle of the cellar dwellers, with the Australian sides in the bottom two positions of the table.

Wallaby Cooper returned after two months sidelined by a shoulder injury and sparked the struggling Reds, who went into the match with just three wins from 13 outings this season but ran in four tries in a brilliant display that belied their lowly standing. — AFP