Highlanders come back from brink

They started like a Chrysler Avenger and finished like a Mustang.

The Highlanders came back from a 24 point deficit early in the second half to beat the Chiefs 33-31 in Hamilton yesterday.

• Players followed plan, got result

After a hat-trick of games where it had no ball and no territory, the Highlanders had plenty of both in the second half in Hamilton and converted that into points.

The side started to move the ball to the outsides and found some space. It was making big metres through a tiring Chiefs defence and tries came to Mitch Hunt and Aaron Smith.

Then when replacement winger Jona Nareki burst on to a ball from 50m out to split the Chiefs defence and score, the Highlanders were was just five points behind with as many minutes left on the clock.

They swung back on to attack, but conceded a penalty from an illegal entry into a ruck. The Chiefs, though, mucked up the lineout and conceded a penalty.

The Highlanders kicked for the corner with less than a minute left and then looked to roll over from the drive.

It was going nowhere, until up stepped halfback Aaron Smith. He grabbed the ball from the maul, made a dart and fed second five-eighth Sio Tomkinson, who went in untouched to score the winning try. Hunt added the simple conversion to bag the win.

Smith deserved to be part of the victory, for he was instrumental in it. He scored a nice try, showing there is some speed still left in those 31-year-old legs as he ran away from Brad Weber. His passes found the hands of countless attacking team-mates and his ability to move the ball helped the Highlanders get over the advantage line with ease.

The visiting side found some space in the Chiefs defensive line and stayed composed despite being behind early on.

It had all started so badly for the side. Hunt missed the opening kick-off and the Chiefs had three tries in the opening quarter of the game.

The Highlanders made too many errors in the first half and lost centre Rob Thompson to a yellow card for a high tackle in the 14th minute.

The set piece was better for the Highlanders and there were not as many poor kicks.

Apart from Smith, Mitch and Dillon Hunt were good, loose forward Shannon Frizell roamed well all day and lock Pari Pari Parkinson was strong in everything he did.

The loss consigned the Chiefs to a record-equalling sixth successive defeat.

The home team had lost their last five games across both Super Rugby and the domestic competition and were desperate to avoid matching a losing record the team had across the 2008 and 2009 seasons.