The Otago Highlanders yesterday stormed home to beat the Wellington Hurricanes 38-21 as Super Rugby Aotearoa, a competition launched with much fanfare when New Zealand believed that it had eliminated COVID-19, closed early with the return of the virus.
The scheduled final match, a showdown today between champions the Canterbury Crusaders and their archrivals, the second-placed Auckland Blues, was canceled because of the outbreak.
The Crusaders, who last week reached an unassailable lead in the competition when they beat the Highlanders, had put celebrations on hold to avoid any distraction before closing against the Blues.
The return of COVID-19 in Auckland put New Zealand’s largest city in lockdown, ruling out live sport, while lighter restrictions elsewhere in the country allowed the Otago Highlanders to play the Wellington Hurricanes behind closed doors yesterday.
However, unlike the first seven rounds of the competition, played in packed stadiums, there were no spectators to applaud.
“It was bizarre really. It was absolutely silent,” Highlanders captain Ash Dixon said, as his side produced a 24-point burst in the second half to cement their third win. “It was kind of 50-50 [at halftime]. We just had to tighten up our D [defense] a bit and hold on to the ball for longer phases, so we decided to hold the ball and things started to happen.”
In the roofed Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, the Highlanders outscored the Hurricanes five tries to three in a fast-paced spectacle, but remain fourth on the table.
For the Hurricanes, who had three tries scrubbed out because of their own errors, it brought an end to a five-match winning streak and they missed a chance to overtake the Blues and finish runners-up.
The first half saw tit-for-tat tries, with Hurricanes wing Vince Aso the first to touch down after a 70m counterattack.
The Highlanders replied immediately when Ngatungane Punivai, on as an injury replacement, scored with his first touch of the ball.
When scrum-half Jamie Booth scored the Hurricanes’ second from another counterattack, the Highlanders’ instant response was a try to Dixon — playing his 100th Super Union game — who scored from a lineout drive.
With the score locked at 14-14 at halftime, a Josh Ioane penalty after the resumption put the Highlanders in front for the first time.
With tries to Michael Collins and Mitch Hunt, as well as a penalty try that saw Ardie Savea yellow-carded, the Highlanders put on 24 unanswered points in the second half before Peter Umaga-Jensen scored the Hurricanes’ third try.
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