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Brumbies battle back after halftime deficit to beat Highlanders
By AAP
The Brumbies have won a see-sawing battle against the Highlanders with the ACT side continuing to find their Super Rugby Pacific form with a 27-21 victory in Dunedin.
The visitors were leading by two points before hooker Lachlan Lonergan sealed the win with a 75th-minute try on Saturday afternoon after his team mauled the ball over the line.
Five-eighth Noah Lolesio then converted the try to push it out to a match-winning margin.
Highlanders playmaker Sam Gilbert was able to salvage a bonus point with a successful penalty kick after fulltime.
It was the Brumbies' third successive win over the Highlanders although they hadn't won at Forsyth Barr Stadium since 2013.
The home side took an 11-7 lead into halftime after opening the scoring through a penalty strike by Gilbert and then a try to Nikora Broughton.
The No.8 capitalised on a Brumbies error and kicked the ball into the in-goal, winning the race to touch down.
The Brumbies opted against taking a penalty kick and built on their phases in attack before being rewarded with a try in the 23rd minute to fullback Tom Wright.
The visitors cleaned up their game in the second half, particularly around the breakdown, and were first on the scoreboard when winger Corey Toole used pure pace to race around the defence.
Their lead was out to 17-11 after Lolesio added the conversion and then another penalty.
But the Highlanders kept coming and were back in the lead after flanker Billy Harmon dragged five Brumbies defenders along as he stormed over from 10 metres out.
The Brumbies kept their composure and went in front 20-18 in the 65th minute off the boot of Lolesio.
Coach Stephen Larkham emptied his bench and came up trumps through Lonergan's effort to give his team their third win from four games.
They do have some injury concerns with prop Blake Schoupp and centre Len Ikitau both forced off late in the first half.
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Latest Comments
It is if he thinks he’s got hold of the ball and there is at least one other player between him and the ball carrier, which is why he has to reach around and over their heads. Not a deliberate action for me.
Go to commentsI understand, but England 30 years ago were a set piece focused kick heavy team not big on using backs.
Same as now.
South African sides from any period will have a big bunch of forwards smashing it up and a first five booting everything in their own half.
NZ until recently rarely if ever scrummed for penalties; the scrum is to attack from, broken play, not structured is what we’re after.
Same as now.
These are ways of playing very ingrained into the culture.
If you were in an English club team and were off to Fiji for a game against a club team you’d never heard of and had no footage of, how would you prepare?
For a forward dominated grind or would you assume they will throw the ball about because they are Fijian?
A Fiji way. An English way.
An Australian way depends on who you’ve scraped together that hasn’t been picked off by AFL or NRL, and that changes from generation to generation a lot of the time.
Actually, maybe that is their style. In fact, yes they have a style.
Nevermind. Fuggit I’ve typed it all out now.
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