The Highlanders got up over the Bulls in Pretoria early yesterday 29-28 after Lima Sopoaga kicked his fifth penalty of the game in the 81st minute to snatch the victory.
As the score suggests, it was a close-run thing and the game could have gone either way.
The Bulls had all the ball and all the territory. There were 29 lineouts in the game and plenty of whistle from referee Glen Jackson.
The Bulls won all 19 of their lineouts and, from almost every one of those, they drove the ball up. It did not deliver much success as the Highlanders put in an impressive defensive effort.
The home side also had a mighty scrum and the Highlanders struggled to get their own ball with any sort of composure.
The Bulls may have dominated the statistics - they had 70% possession and at least the same in territory - but in the end there is only one statistic that matters and that is the one on the scoreboard at the final whistle. The Bulls kept knocking on the door but the Highlanders could not be moved as their defence won the game.
They made more than twice as many tackles as the Bulls and a couple of scrambling tackles - one at the end of the first half, and another near fulltime - were critical to the result.
When the Highlanders had the ball and put something together they looked good. But it happened too rarely and they also bombed a couple of good opportunities.
The Bulls looked more confident with the ball in hand than they have for a good few years and, when centre Jesse Kriel went over with five minutes left, the game looked to be won by the home team.
But Jackson’s 26th and final penalty, for Bulls replacement forward Nic de Jager being offside, gave Sopoaga the chance to win the game.
It was not an easy kick - about 40m on the angle, and on the wrong side of the field for the first five-eighth but he nailed it easily.
The Highlanders scored the first try of the game after just three minutes when a wide ball off a lineout put fullback Fletcher Smith in space. He chipped ahead and Aaron Smith controlled the ball well enough to score.
Fletcher Smith scored the other try for the Highlanders early in the second half after good work by his namesakes. Fletcher Smith had earlier been yellow carded for pulling back Bulls fullback Warrick Gelant which resulted in a yellow card and a penalty try.
The best for the visiting side were Sopoaga and Aaron Smith while up front Tom Franklin and Liam Coltman got through plenty of work.
In other games over the weekend, the Stormers beat the Rebels 34-18 and the Reds edged the Lions 27-22. The Jaguares defeated the Blues 20-13 and the Crusaders downed the Brumbies 21-8 in Canberra.
Super Rugby
The scores
Highlanders 29
Aaron Smith, Fletcher Smith tries; Lima Sopoaga 5 pen, 2 con
Bulls 28
Handre Pollard, Jason Jenkins, Jesse Kriel tries; penalty try, Pollard 3 con
Halftime: 14-10 Bulls