Highlanders smash hapless Chiefs

The Highlanders produced a classy second-half performance to record a bonus-point 36-9 win over the Chiefs in a very wet Invercargill on Saturday.

The four-tries-to-nil victory kept alive the Highlanders' slim chance of catching the table-topping Hurricanes, while the result put a serious dent in the Chiefs' play-off hopes.

Leading just 11-3 at half-time, the Highlanders applied the squeeze-tactics and scored three unanswered second-half tries – the bonus-point scoring coming in the 77th minute.

The 10th win from 14 games lifted the Highlanders to within nine points of the Hurricanes and offers a chance to overtake the competition leaders – who were beaten by the Crusaders 35-18 last Friday.

At a foggy and damp Rugby Park the Highlanders subjected the Chiefs to a barrage of high kicks, forcing handling errors and gaining a territorial advantage that delivered a four-try bonus point win.

The Highlanders led 11-3 at half-time – with a try to Patrick Osborne and two Lima Sopoaga penalties.

Waisake Naholo's brilliant solo effort just after the break built the buffer the Highlanders had been looking for, after the Chiefs mounted a concerted effort in the closing stages of the first spell to narrow the gap.

The giant wing took the ball as first receiver from a line-out on the half-way line and ploughed through a wilting defence on a 55-metre run to the line.

The Highlanders had opened with two penalties by Sopoaga to one by Damian McKenzie for the Chiefs, before Osborne crossed for his try after a long build-up that began when the Highlanders turned down a shot at goal and went for a line-out drive.

The forwards were held up forcing scrumhalf Aaron Smith to bring the backs into play, with the ball sent from side to side across the ground until the Chiefs' defence cracked.

The Chiefs were denied a chance to close the gap at the end of the half when they turned penalties into line-out drives three times only to fall short of turning them into points.

Fullback Damian McKenzie went closest when he dived on the ball over the tryline following a chip kick by his flyhalf brother Marty McKenzie.

But after watching several replays the television match official ruled that Damian McKenzie did not have sufficient control of the ball.

Three minutes into the second half Naholo's try converted by Sopoaga lifted the Highlanders to an 18-3 lead and their confidence grew.

McKenzie landed two further penalties for the Chiefs to close the gap to 18-9, before Sopoaga added two more penalties and converted the tries by Buckman and Ben Smith to finish with a personal match tally of 16 points.

Man of the match: Not too many Chiefs in the running for this, given that their notorious lack of discipline saw their penalty count into double figures again. Waisake Naholo scored an awesome try, not to mention how crucial it was in giving the Highlanders the breathing space they required early in the second half. Ben Smith is always close and he scored the bonus-point try. Elliot Dixon had a massive game. Lima Sopoaga controlled the game with poise. However, our award goes to Highlanders scrumhalf Aaron Smith for the quality of his service in the testing conditions at a very cold and wet Invercargill.

The scorers:

For the Highlanders:

Tries: Osborne, Naholo, Buckman, B Smith

Cons: Sopoaga 2

Pens: Sopoaga 4

For the Chiefs:

Pens: D McKenzie 3

Teams:

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Richard Buckman, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Dan Pryor, 7 John Hardie, 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Alex Ainley, 3 Josh Hohneck, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Brendon Edmonds.

Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Joe Latta, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Jason Emery.

Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Charlie Ngatai, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Bryce Heem, 10 Marty McKenzie, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Maama Vaipulu, 5 Michael Fitzgerald, 4 Ross Filipo, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Pauliasi Manu.

Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Siate Tokolahi, 18 Mitchell Graham, 19 Brian Alainu'uese, 20 Mitchell Crosswell, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Andrew Horrell, 23 Tim Nanai-Williams.

Referee: Nick Briant

Assistant referees: Mike Lash, Mike Lash

TMO: Glenn Newman