Late Parker strike steals it for Highlanders

Last year in Wellington, this year in Dunedin – and both times the matches were exciting and the Highlanders won. Last year it was the final match of 2015 Super Rugby. This was just the second match of 2016 Super Rugby. Last year the Highlanders scored two tries to one. This year it was one try each – though the Highlanders came as close to scoring on two other occasions as close can be really close.

At half-time the Highlanders led 11-6. With 19 minutes to play, the Hurricanes led 16-14. For 13 minutes they held onto that lead as the Highlanders attacked again and again. Twice they thought that had scored a the winning try but twice the TMO's advice dashed their hopes. Then with five minutes to play substitute flyhalf Hayden Parker kicked the winning penalty goal.

Back came the Highlanders on the attack as they had done for most of the half. but the Hurricanes won a turnover and they started running.  But then – major blunder – Jason Woodward kicked the ball into touch.

There were some 15 000 spectators in Forsyth Barr Stadium, including a zoo packed with cheerful scarfies, as is the Otago way. They had a whale of a time on the warm evening.

The Highlanders attacked first but Cory Jane intercepted a pass by Matt Faddes and raced away from his 22 – but Malakai Fekitoa stopped the ageing legs from behind. Still the Hurricanes were first to score when, after Aaron Smith had made a mess of a drop-out, Beauden Barrett goaled a penalty. 3-0 after five minutes.

Fekitoa broke inside Ngani Laumape and rushed at the line. He was tackled but the Highlanders bashed at the line till Lima Sopoaga made a hole for Fekitoa who finished off what he had started with a try. 5-3 to the Highlanders after 9 minutes. Sopoaga's conversion attempt hit the upright and stayed out but four minutes later the Hurricanes were offside and the flyhalf made it 8-3.

Barrett goaled another offside penalty and when the Highlanders destroyed a Hurricanes' scrum Sopoaga made it 11-6 after 33 minutes. The Highlanders were close when the Hurricanes handling went awry and Ben Smith kicked downfield. Jason Emery chased and put pressure on Barrett which led to a five-metre line-out for the Highlanders. Emery was close but Laumape won a turnover and the Hurricanes prevented any further scoring in the half.

Early in the second half Barrett missed a penalty but then went speeding through a gap which set the Hurricanes attacked. The men form the south and then an Emery break set them attacking, their reward a third Sopoaga penalty. 14-6 after 49 minutes.

Laumape broke but his pass went astray. Still the Hurricanes attacked and were bashing at the line when captain TJ Perenara picked up and scored in Emery's attempted tackle. That made it 14-13 after 57 minutes.

The tension in an already thrilling match mounted.

The Hurricanes attacked on the left and then right for a five-metre scrum. On advantage when Aaron Smith had gone offside Barrett kicked a high diagonal to the far left where Julian Savea caught the ball and went to ground in in-goal but the TMO's advice was that Fekitoa and Sopoaga had conspired to hold the ball up off the ground. But they went back to the penalty which Barrett goaled. 16-14.

Now the Highlanders attacked for all their worth.

From a line-out Dan Pryor bashed his way forward and the next moment Fekitoa was surging at the posts, tackled but stretching for the upright's padding. The Highlanders claimed a try but the TMO's advice was that there was no clear grounding. That produced a five-metre scrum. Aaron Smith went wide and passed inside to Liam Squire who swept over – but the TMO was able to confirm that the pass from Smith to Squire was forward. That meant a scrum to the Hurricanes near their line against a stronger-scrummaging Hurricanes but they managed to work their way clear, and there were just eight agonising minutes to play.

Patrick Osborne's attacked down the left and kicked ahead of the line-out. The Hurricanes survived the immediate threat but then, with five minutes left, the Hurricanes were penalised and Parker calmly goaled the angled kick.

And even those last five minutes were thrilling even though dominated by the Highlanders.

Man of the Match: In a great game of this kind there were often great player performances – on both sides. There were Malakai Fekitoa, Ben Smith, Aaron Smith, Patrick Osborne, Liam Sopoaga, Elliott Dixon and Liam Coltman of the Highlanders, and elegant Beauden Barrett. TJ Perenara, James Marshall, Brad Shields and Ardie Savea of the Hurricanes. Our choice is creative but faultless Ben Smith.

The scorers:

For the Highlanders:

Try: Fekitoa

Pens: Sopoaga 3, Parker

For the Hurricanes:

Try: Perenara

Con: Barrett

Pens: Barrett 3

Teams:

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Matt Faddes, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Teihorangi Walden, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Shane Christie (co-captain), 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Joe Wheeler, 4 Tom Franklin, 3 Josh Hohneck, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Brendon Edmonds.

Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Siosiua Halanukonuka, 19 Liam Squire, 20 Dan Pryor, 21 Josh Renton, 22 Hayden Parker, 23 Jason Emery.

Hurricanes: 15 James Marshall, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Vince Aso, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara (captain), 8 Victor Vito, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Mark Abbott, 4 Blade Thomson, 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Leni Apisai, 1 Reggie Goodes.

Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Loni Uhila, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Callum Gibbins, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Jason Woodward, 23 Willis Halaholo.

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

TMO: Chris Wratt (New Zealand)