The Otago Highlanders of New Zealand continued the fairytale start to the first Super 15 championship with a deserved 35-28 victory over title holders Northern Bulls of South Africa on Saturday.
The star-less team from Dunedin near the bottom of the south island became the first visiting team to win at Loftus Versfeld since compatriots Wellington Hurricanes 24 months ago.
It was the Bulls’ first home defeat in 21 matches and their usually vocal followers spent much of the lively encounter in stunned silence as the sporting heroes of Pretoria played second fiddle to the tigerish Highlanders.
Photo: Reuters
Spurred by an early try from outstanding flanker Adam Thompson, Highlanders led 11-6 at halftime and took advantage of the Bulls being a man short early in the second half, with flanker Deon Stegmann sin-binned, to score two tries, but they did not manage to bury the Bulls, who could have stolen a draw in the final minute as they piled pressure on 14-man Otago, only for scrumhalf Fourie du Preez to knock out 5m from the try-line.
A bonus-point victory for scoring four tries lifted the Highlanders to 13 points after three rounds, level with South African outfit the Coastal Sharks, who occupy first place because of a superior points difference.
“To defeat the Bulls at Loftus is a great feeling after no one gave us a chance. We may have no stars, but we contest every breakdown with fierce determination,” Highlanders prop and skipper Jamie MacKintosh said.
Bulls captain and lock Victor Matfield did not spare his teammates: “We were not good enough and our defense was shocking. We will be back in two weeks time after a bye, but there is a lot of hard work to do first.”
The Highlanders knew it would be crazy to try and match the Bulls at their game of kicking and keeping the ball among the forwards, so they ran at every chance and did not tire until a late Alando Soakai caution put them under pressure.
The South Africans, who have won three of the last four southern hemisphere championships, missed many tackles, committed countless handling errors and suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of the turnovers.
Wing Kado Poki (two), Thompson and lock Josh Bekhuis scored tries for Otago. Veteran flyhalf Tony Brown kicked three conversions and a penalty when he replaced Robbie Robinson, who succeeded with two first-half penalty attempts.
Lock Flip van der Merwe, du Preez and wing Bjorn Basson crossed the try-line for the Bulls and the other 13 points came from two conversions and three penaltys off the boot of flyhalf Morne Steyn.
STORMERS 21, CHEETAHS 15
AFP, CAPE TOWN
Flyhalf Peter Grant kicked seven penaltys as the Western Stormers squeezed out a win over the Central Cheetahs at Newlands.
Cheetahs pivot Naas Olivier landed four goals and replacement fullback Riaan Viljoen landed a last-minute kick from long range to give his side a bonus point for a losing margin within seven points.
Neither side was able to score a try in an error-ridden match played in stifling heat, with match officials agreeing to water breaks midway through each half.
The teams were locked at 6-6 at halftime, with the Cheetahs unable to take advantage of greater possession.
Although the visiting team were more successful at keeping the ball in hand than their opponents, they could not pierce a well-organized Stormers defense.
The Stormers gradually took control in the second half with most of the play in Cheetahs territory, the visitors being forced into errors and conceding a stream of penalties.
Grant was in superb kicking form as he landed seven of eight attempts at goal, including several from testing distances and angles.
His kicking out of hand also put the Cheetahs under pressure, while he charged down an attempted clearance by Olivier late in the second half that almost led to a Stormers try.
Neither team looked like scoring a try in the first half, but the Cheetahs came close in the first minute of the second period when Stormers scrumhalf Ricky Januarie was caught in possession and Cheetahs wing Rayno Benjamin was denied a try by a crunching tackle into touch on the corner flag by flanker Francois Louw.
Januarie was replaced soon after by Dewaldt Duvenage, who had an impressive game, as did Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius.
With the teams opting to keep play tight, neither back-line had a chance to shine and most attacks came from drives by the forwards, while handling errors from both sides frequently caused breakdowns.
“It hasn’t been much of a spectacle, but the important thing is to get a win,” said injured Stormers captain Schalk Burger, who watched the match from the bench.
It was the second successive win by the Stormers, although they have only managed to score one try in two matches at home, while the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs suffered their third successive defeat.
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