It had been 310 days for the Highlanders but they finally had reason to smile when they held off the Force 43-35 in a free-wheeling Super Rugby Pacific game in Invercargill yesterday.
Winger Jonah Lowe scored his first two tries for his new team, and the Highlanders scored three tries in a crucial 10-minute period late in the game to take control.
The victory was blessed relief for the Highlanders, who had battled to an 0-3 start with the draw from hell.
They did not always look convincing at Rugby Park but they stepped up with the game on the line, and given their almost ludicrous injury list, they can take some satisfaction out of this win.
A helter-skelter second half opened with rapid-fire lead changes after the Highlanders had come out of the sheds with a 15-13 advantage.
The Force scored first and looked the more aggressive team, but the Highlanders promptly showed some crisp, efficient handling and Sam Gilbert crashed over to make it 22-18.
First five Bryce Hegarty was then the man on the spot to convert his own try as the visiting side went up 25-22.
An eighth lead change of the game followed when Force reserve George Poolman was shown yellow for dumping Gilbert on his head, and with the man advantage, Highlanders flanker Sean Withy hit the line at pace to score and make it 29-25.
Who would blink first with 17 minutes to play?
Everyone was blinking, or perhaps staring, when reserve Highlanders hooker Rhys Marshall pulled off one of the plays of the season, a left-footed 50-22 kick from a botched Force lineout.
Shortly after, Lowe got the second of his two tries, and a lovely Gilbert conversion from the sideline effectively made the game safe.
It was put well beyond reach when No.8 Hugh Renton — who had a massive game — scored the Highlanders’ sixth try, and a couple of very late Force tries were merely footnotes, especially as the home side had the satisfaction of giving Cam Millar, Oli Haig and Finn Hurley their debuts.
Cue the (very muted) celebrations, but the Highlanders will know this only means something if they follow up with more success in the coming weeks.
The first half had been a half of two halves.
It started with some truly dreadful rugby from both teams as they appeared to be welded to a plan titled ‘‘just kick the ball aimlessly’’.
They succeeded brilliantly and boringly in that plan — and the Force took a 6-0 lead with a pair of penalties — until the Highlanders cracked the game open, and to the surprise of few, it was through attacking weapon Thomas Umaga-Jensen.
The blockbusting centre smashed through two tackles on his way to a 40m burst, and after a couple more phases, Lowe crashed over for his first try.
That excitement gave way to concern, at least for the Southland faithful, with 10 minutes to play in the half when Highlanders first five Mitch Hunt was binned, having been adjudged to knock the ball down deliberately when the Force was fairly close to the line.
Lively halfback Gareth Simpson then engineered a wonderful try for the Western Australians, changing direction and lobbing in a delicate kick for winger Zack Kibirige to swoop and score.
Groans when the Highlanders turned down a kickable penalty in the last minute of the half turned to whoops when Hunt, just back on the field, slithered his way over for a try that meant a halftime lead for the home team.
Next up for the Highlanders is a game in Dunedin this Saturday against the Fijian Drua, who narrowly went down to the Queensland Reds 27-24 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane last night.
Saturday’s games, like the Invercargill game, featured scorelines straight out of 1996.
The Chiefs beat the Rebels 44-25, the Brumbies beat Moana Pasifika 62-36, and the Crusaders made it a repeat of last year’s final when they beat the Blues 34-28.
