The Highlanders won plenty of admirers for their extraordinary tenacity and spirit, but were still on Death Row last night.
A 16-9 loss to the Blues meant the Highlanders were in the awkward position of needing favours from no fewer than three other teams in order to make the Super Rugby playoffs.
They needed the Brumbies to beat Rebels in the late game last night, and will today be hoping the Reds can beat the Drua in Fiji and the Chiefs can beat the Force in Perth.
Last night’s clash was either scrappy or epic, depending on which side of the fence you sat.
Just one try was scored, and there were only three points in the second half. But the scrum battle was a highlight, the defensive intensity was epic, and there was just enough doubt about the result to keep interest high for 80 minutes.
A hat tip to the Highlanders, though. They simply do not have enough players at the Blues’ level, and they did not really play much rugby as they were so busy, led by inspirational captain Billy Harmon, defending against waves of attack.
But they were gutsy as anything, and scrambled with remarkable intensity to shut down the Blues more than most teams have managed this year.
The first half was oddly entertaining considering it featured only one try.
Mostly, to be fair, the enterprising rugby was played by the Blues, while the Highlanders were largely limited to defensive duties — they performed them reasonably well for half an hour — and kicks aimed at turning the superior team around.
Sam Gilbert (two) and Harry Plummer traded penalties before the Blues appeared to have scored the opening try when hooker Ricky Riccitelli slid over the line from some distance.
He appeared to have lost control briefly, but the try was ruled out anyway for an early knock-on by halfback Finlay Christie.
The Blues’ class and dominance eventually paid dividends in the 29th minute when they showed all their relentless power and efficiency in a sweeping 70m series of phases.
After a bunch of behemoths picked up and charged, lock Patrick Tuipolotu got the try, though there were some questions around an earlier pass and a possible obstruction on the line.
Mark Telea was the hyped-up danger man and he certainly looked terrifying at times, but the Highlanders were wary of him.
Harmon did some sterling work for the Highlanders, and Max Hicks was a wonderful presence in the defensive lineout, but the visitors started to slip off some tackles as the onslaught continued.
Ten points down at halftime is never a catastrophic situation, but there was a feeling the Highlanders really needed to score first in the second half to stay in the fight.
The Blues looked odds-on to cross again before rookie centre Matt Whaanga made a wonderful ankle tap on Rieko Ioane. Then Jona Nareki — is there a better defensive winger in the country? — shut down Telea. Then Harmon, in career-best form in a World Cup year, shut down yet another attack.
Damage limitation is a strategy that usually has a limited shelf life, but the Highlanders did superbly at withstanding a relentless passage of Blues offence for the first 20 minutes of the half.
Even when they lost prop Jermaine Ainsley to the bin, they held firm, frustrating a home side that had a 90% possession and territory advantage for an entire quarter of the game.
Finally, the crack appeared.
Telea got the sniff of space and was through for his 12th try of a remarkable season ... but hold that thought. The television match official spotted that Plummer had earlier had a knee on the touch line a fraction of a second before he released the ball.
Talk about getting out of jail. The Highlanders had no right to still be in the game, but they showed gallons of heart and courage.
Improbably, they threatened a late miracle, and had a try overturned, but they had to settle for respect and a bonus point.
Super Rugby Pacific
The scores
Blues 16
Patrick Tuipolotu tries; Harry Plummer con, 3 pen
Highlanders 9
Sam Gilbert 3 pen
Halftime: Blues 16-6.
