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Chiefs, Highlanders pick up victories

The Lions' Willem Alberts, center, attempts to burst through the Highlander's defense during their Super 14 match at Carisbrook in Dunedin, New Zealand, yesterday. The Highlanders defeated the Lions 29-20. PHOTO: AP

The Waikato Chiefs scored two tries in the opening 12 minutes of their game yesterday and secured a bonus point before halftime in beating the ACT Brumbies 42-28 in Super 14 rugby.

Winger Sitiveni Sivivatu and center Callum Bruce scored early tries to ruin Stirling Mortlock’s 100th game for the Brumbies. The Chiefs scored their fourth try — giving them a bonus point — in the 33rd minute, when Stephen Donald crossed for the second time as the visitors led 28-7 at halftime.

Sivivatu regathered his own kick in the seventh minute to open the scoring before he steamed onto a short ball from halfback Brendon Leonard five minutes later — after a Chiefs lineout win 40m from the Brumbies line — and put Bruce over.

The Brumbies briefly came into the contest when George Smith stepped through some flimsy Waikato defense to set up a try for his brother Tyrone Smith, in the 18th minute. Mortlock’s conversion, in his comeback game from a shoulder injury, closed the deficit to seven points.

But two solo efforts from Donald in the 25th and 33rd minutes put the Chiefs firmly back in control.

The visitors’ only concern at halftime was a leg injury to Mils Muliaina that ended the Waikato captain’s game in the 20th minute.

Waikato went up 35-7 in the 45th minute before the Brumbies responded with two tries to narrow the deficit to 35-21 with 15 minutes left. The Chiefs scored again on a turnover and later added a sixth try to post their fifth win in eight matches and third in a row.

The Brumbies, who had a bye last weekend and picked up a bonus point for scoring four tries, including two by Josh Holmes, dropped to three wins and four losses.

“To come over here and defend like we did, I’m pretty proud of them,’’ Waikato coach Ian Foster said.

ACT coach Laurie Fischer was disappointed with the number of turnovers.

“If you turn over the ball, it doesn’t matter where it is on the park, it creates pressure,’’ Fischer said.

Meanwhile, the Otago Highlanders survived second half stutters to post their first Super 14 win of the season with a 29-20 victory over fellow cellar-dwellers the Golden Lions in Dunedin yesterday.

The Highlanders, battling with an inexperienced team this year, nearly threw the game away when they squandered an 18-point lead, allowing the South Africans to come within a point midway through the second half.

But a late penalty and a try by replacement back Aaron Bancroft ensured the four try to three victory and a welcome bonus point.

Highlanders captain Craig Newby said his side felt they were the better team throughout, but eased off in the third quarter when the Lions scored three tries in just seven minutes.

“For 20 minutes there, it looked like we were going to capitulate but we dug deep and got over,” a relieved Newby said afterwards.

The Highlanders have reason to celebrate after six straight losses, most by narrow margins.

“Six games in a row to lose, it’s pretty tough and we’ve been doing it tough, playing really well and not getting over the line,” Newby said.

The Lions were outplayed for the first 41 minutes of the game, which saw them down 21-3 just after halftime.

But the Highlanders lost their focus, allowing the dangerous Lions outside backs the room to create tries for flyhalf Jaco van Schalkwyk, inside center Walter Venter and No. 8 Willem Alberts.

Two of the tries came through a shaky Highlanders lineout turning over possession, although the Johannesburg-based team had their own problems with their scrum in the first spell.

The Lions opened the match brightly, moving the ball from side to side through the backline, but it was the Highlanders who opened the scoring through inside center Johnny Leota in the ninth minute.

A clever offload by No. 8 Newby allowed Leota to cut inside and touch down in a move he repeated 20 minutes later.

From a set move at a scrum, Leota took a clever little pass from flyhalf James Wilson, which allowed him to again scythe inside the ragged Lions defense.

The Highlanders extended their lead to 18 points just a minute into the second spell when fullback Paul Williams, the son of former All Black winger Bryan Williams, showed the advantage of good genes.

He received the ball from a quick throw in, rounded a Lions forward and flew through acres of space to beat the cover defense to the line.
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