The Highlanders have gone down to the Reds 19-13 in the final game of their 2012 Super Rugby campaign.
The loss spells the end to the Highlanders' season, as any chance of making the playoffs have now been lost. Despite this the team can hold their heads high, showing themselves to be contenders and have come a long way since 2010.
Making the top six was always a long shot, but a bonus point win would give the Highlanders their best chance. This is something they have done only once all year and whether they would be able to go to Brisbane and do this to an in-form Reds side was always a big question.
They didn't die wondering though, looking to attack from the word go, playing a very open brand of rugby and making their intentions perfectly clear. Simply winning the game wasn't on the minds of these men, as was evidenced by the multiple penalty shots turned down in throughout. They knew they had to score tries, and despite the loss, shouldn't be criticised for their tactics.
Had they looked to play more conservatively then sure, they may have won the game. But last night that extra point was like gold in the race to the playoffs and the possibility of obtaining it was worth risking losing the game.
As it would turn out it would have made little difference as the Sharks had a bonus point win over the Bulls early on Sunday morning. This leaves both of these teams on 54 points, and both have games where they would be expected to get at least one point if not five next week.
As far as the game itself went, it certainly was entertaining to see two sides both looking to have crack. But as is often the case when teams play this way, the error rate was high with too many dropped balls and turnovers to apply any meaningful pressure.
This was perhaps shown by the fact that, despite all the rugby that was played in the first half, the score at the break was only 6-3.
The early stages of the second half saw the Reds begin to pull away, shooting out to a 16-3 thanks to the boot of Mike Harris and a well-worked backline move in the 57th minute.
But the Highlanders rallied and began to put together some phases, starting to play a tighter game and looking better for it. Two Highlanders tries plus a Reds penalty in the next 15 minutes made for an exciting finish with the deficit at six and the Highlanders pressing.
But the Reds held on and escaped with a 19-13 win, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Maybe it would have been better to have played tighter initially, drawn the Reds forwards in and then gone wide. They certainly looked better when they began doing this and it may have been the way to go.
The forwards were able to get the better of their opposition throughout the majority of the game, attacking the breakdown ferociously and consequently turning over plenty of ball. They sure had the Reds under a lot of pressure in this facet of the game, and one must wonder how many penalties and how many warnings the Reds could receive without losing a man.
It seemed the Reds were continually allowed to infringe in the red-zone and were warned multiple times, but never did they lose a man. When both teams received warnings in the first half the Highlanders would have every right to feel aggrieved, as they had conceded just two penalties in contrast to the Reds eight. An extra man for ten minutes would have been a big advantage, particularly the way the Highlanders were playing. But it wasn't to be.
What let them down in the end was inaccuracies, something that has dogged them for the entire season and in the end was the difference between them and the top sides. Good teams take the chances presented to them, and this Highlanders team wasn't able to do that. They showed plenty of enterprise and great attitude throughout the year, but just weren't clinical enough to finish off.
But they shouldn't be knocked for what they have achieved in 2012. They have built on the work that was done in 2011 and made the Highlanders contenders once more. The foundations have now been laid and if they can continue to improve in the same way 2013 can't come soon enough.