Rugby: Highlanders dig deep to secure win

Lima Sopoaga of the Highlanders celebrates victory following the Super Rugby Quarterfinal match...
Lima Sopoaga of the Highlanders celebrates victory following the Super Rugby Quarterfinal match between the Brumbies and the Highlanders at GIO Stadium in Canberra, Australia.Photo by Getty
The Highlanders hung on - by an anorexic cat's whisker.

In a nail-biting playoff match in a rain-ridden Canberra last night, the Highlanders dug deep to win 15-9 over the Brumbies last night.

It was real heart in the mouth stuff - the final five minutes the Highlanders were stuck on their own tryline trying to keep out a desperate Brumbies attack - but the visiting side managed to man the trenches and come out ahead.

The Brumbies looked to have scored with three minutes to go when replacement Lausii Taliauli appeared to go over - to be honest, it would have been given in real time - but the television match official could not find a good view and ruled no try.

The Brumbies then poured on the pressure through their scrum but the Highlanders refused to buckle and, into the 82nd minute, the ball went across the touchline and the Highlanders had the win.

Arms went up from the Highlanders in relief, in what was a game of high tension if not high skill.

The wet weather ruined the match as a spectacle, as did a gusty wind, but the Highlanders deserved to win for scoring two tries to none.

Their ball handling was not great and they dropped the ball at the wrong time but had the lion's share of territory and possession at key moments.

Best for the Highlanders were the two Smiths, No8 Liam Squire and lock Luke Whitelock.

The Highlanders led 10-6 at the break and scored their second try after 15 minutes of the second half and it came from the guile of Lima Sopoaga.

He intercepted a Brumbies pass close in and then quickly released the ball to centre Matt Faddes.

Faddes put the speed on and was hauled down 5m out.

The ball was quickly switched to the right and Squire went over.

The Highlanders' discipline was not great - they gave away too many penalties - but their ability at the lineout was first rate and they grabbed some vital ball off Brumbies' throws.

None was better than with just over three-quarters of the match gone.

Elliot Dixon grabbed the lineout ball within 5m off his own tryline.

Less than half a minute later the Highlanders were 60m down the field.

The Highlanders started well and almost scored in the first two minutes.

Winger Patrick Osborne went close and the Brumbies defended well on their line to keep the visiting side out.

In the end, the home team offended in the ruck and Sopoaga knocked over an easy penalty.

The next 30 minutes rather meandered along as the Highlanders made too many mistakes while the Brumbies just hung in and tried to grind their way out of their own half.

The Highlanders made some errors in handling and kicked the ball out on the full from a drop-out but the Brumbies were not good enough to take advantage.

Christian Lealifano bagged two penalties inside the opening quarter as the Brumbies took the lead 6-3 for the bulk of the half.

The Highlanders needed to make the most of the wind behind them and took the lead with just under five minutes to go.

The ball was shifted through the phases and, as the Brumbies ran out of defenders, winger Waisake Naholo scored virtually untouched.

Sopoaga knocked over the difficult conversion in the pouring rain.

Brumbies second five-eighth Matt Toomua was yellow carded during the try movement for team infringements and the home team was down to 14 men either side of halftime.

The Highlanders almost made the most of the extra man right at the death of the first half but Malakai Fekitoa lost the ball in the tackle within sight of the tryline.

 


Highlanders v Brumbies
The scores

Highlanders              15

Waisake Naholo, Liam Squire tries; Lima Sopoaga con, pen

Brumbies                    9

Christian Lealifano 3 penHalftime: 10-6 


 

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