SCORE: Highlanders 21 (E Dixon, W Naholo tries; L Sopoaga 2 pens, con, M Banks drop goal) Hurricanes 14 (M Nonu try; B Barrett 3 pens) in Wellington on Saturday night.
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Beauden Barrett kicked a penalty early in the second half, but that was quickly nullified by another Highlanders try, this time through Waisake Naholo taking them ten points clear.
The Highlanders were ultimately able to hold on to their narrow lead before a drop goal from Marty Banks with four minutes remaining gave them breathing space and the eventual win and title.
In a compelling and fast-moving game, the first all-Kiwi final since 2006, the key was the technical excellence, sharpness and leadership of Aaron Smith, scrum-half for the Highlanders and who could easily become a star of the World Cup later this year. Users may not download or reproduce a substantial portion of the AP material found on this web site.
Hooker Oliver has played the most games for the Highlanders (127), while Brown scored the most Super Rugby points (942), although he also played two seasons for the Sharks and Stormers.
Fairytale finishes happen in sport but they’re not a given and a loyal New Zealand rugby servant like Nonu is a player who deserves to go out on a high.
As the All Blacks prepare for Samoa on Wednesday, the best of the rest will assemble for the Maori to prepare for a game against Fiji or have a week off before gathering for the NZ Barbarians against the Maori.
Sopoaga, 23, delivered an accurate tactical kicking game before being forced from the field with a calf injury late in the second period.
The home side also made numerous errors and wasted a wealth of possession with sloppy handling and accuracy while attempting to play too much rugby inside their own territory. Guys started getting exhausted and injured and so forth but we managed to find just enough to do the job.
“We knew it was the last game of the season”.
“To win a championship, you’ve got to knock over a lot of good rugby teams and we did that”.
Coach Jamie Joseph had his ruthless side as a player – who can forget the stamp on Kyran Bracken’s ankle in 1993? – and his side is happy to push the boundaries.
While outgoing Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith was obviously disappointed with the result but believes his side will get their maiden title in the near future.
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“It didn’t work out tonight but we met a Highlanders side that played their best and I just take my hat off to them”.
