Yes, indeed, the dream continues, with the Highlanders beating the Bulls 35-28 in Pretoria yesterday to collect one of the franchise's best wins.
The Highlanders showed real ticker and talent to defeat the supposedly unbeatable Bulls to register their third straight win of the season.
The win lifts the side to second on the ladder and top of the New Zealand conference after three rounds, being one of only three unbeaten sides in the competition.
The Highlanders started strongly and were never behind. They led 11-6 at the break and scored four well-executed tries to hand the Bulls their first defeat at Loftus Versfeld in 19 games.
The Bulls were not allowed to get into any sort of rhythm and all 15 players on the paddock carried out their roles superbly.
The forwards were, for the third game in a row, super-competitive at the breakdown, and forced the Bulls into rushing things. The front eight again pilfered turnovers and got over the advantage line.
The backs ran hard, found some nice gaps, and tackled like demons.
The ability to find space was something to admire and the error count was light years away from 12 months ago.
The Highlanders looked to have the game in the bag when livewire winger Kade Poki went over for his second try with only 10 minutes left.
Tony Brown's conversion stretched the lead to 14 points but the Bulls came steaming back.
Highlanders flanker Alando Soakai was yellow-carded for an indiscretion at the ruck and Bulls winger Bjorn Basson went over.
With less than two minutes left, the home side then swept back down field and charged to within 5m of the line, but halfback Fourie du Preez knocked the ball on at a ruck.
Let us not discuss the hand of Jamie Mackintosh being suspiciously near the ball when du Preez spilled possession.
The Highlanders mucked up the resultant scrum but the Bulls somehow could not get across the line when the ball went out to the backs. The ball was then held up and referee Stuart Dickinson, thankfully, blew the fulltime whistle.
It would have been tough on the Highlanders to have drawn the game, as they dominated territory and won the battle up front. They started well, with flanker Adam Thomson squeezing down the blind side after five minutes to score in the corner.
Teams then traded penalty goals for the rest of the first half, though the Highlanders went close a couple of times in the first 40 minutes.
The Highlanders took the kickoff at the start of the second half and then just rumbled up field and, after a couple of attacks at the line, lock Josh Bekhuis dived over.
Poki then took a great inside ball from Brown and was under the posts.
But Poki was superb on attack in a great team effort, while second five-eighth Shaun Treeby continues to impress at this level.
The loose forward trio was immense, while the tight five worked hard and the lineout more than held its own against its much vaunted opponent.
The Bulls would have been disappointed with their performance. Prop Gurthro Steenkamp and fullback Zane Kirchner were the best of an average lot.
Meanwhile, the Blues mounted a second-half revival to subdue the Lions 42-31 in Johannesburg yesterday.
Trailing 17-25 at halftime, the Blues stormed back to score 24 points after the break to stage their second stirring comeback in three games.
The Chiefs overcame the loss of captain Mils Muliaina to a lower back injury after 20 minutes to hammer the Melbourne Rebels 38-10 in Hamilton on Saturday, their first win of the season and their first at Waikato Stadium since May 2009.
The Sharks top the table courtesy of a 39-12 win over the Force in Perth on Saturday after leading 19-9 at halftime.
The Australians were always on the back foot after Force substitute Rory Sidey was given his marching orders by referee Keith Brown in the 18th minute for a dangerous lifting tackle on Sharks winger Odwa Ndungane.
In other Super 15 matches, the Reds downed the Brumbies 31-25 in Canberra yesterday, while the Stormers and the Cheetahs played out a dour, tryless battle in Cape Town, eventually won 21-15 by the Stormers.
Highlanders v Bulls
- The scores
• Highlanders - 35
Kade Poki 2, Adam Thomson, Josh Bekhuis tries; Tony Brown 3 con, pen, Robbie Robinson 2 pen.
• Bulls - 28
Franco van der Merwe, Fourie du Preez, Bjorn Basson tries; Morne Steyn 2 con, 3 pen.
• Halftime: Highlanders 11-6.
