Highlanders get their first win
Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:31
The Highlanders move off the bottom of the Super 14 standings with their first win of the season, a 29-20 victory over the hapless Lions at Carisbrook, Dunedin, on Friday.
The win saw the Highlanders move into 11th place on the standings - with the Lions in 13th place, with only the winless Cheetahs below them.
This match started off as if it was going to be the delight of the 2008 Super 14. The promise did not last long and for a period of the first half it threatened to be the drabbest, most fragmented match of the 2008 Super 14.
Joe van Niekerk withdrew from the Lions side before the match because of illness, his place taken by lock Franco van der Merwe who certainly was no Van Niekerk. The Lions took a pounding at the breakdown, losing five tackle turn-overs before they managed to scrounge one. But that was not the heart of the matter.
The match started with the Lions running on counterattack and going right, left, right, left and right again before the Highlanders won their first turn-over. Their second turn-over brought them onto the attack and then sturdy, strong, powerful Fetu'u Vainikolo burst for the line. He got past four tacklers in a confined space and was over the line but Rayno Benjamin rode on his back and did enough for the wing to dislodge the ball. A let-off, but things looked ominous for the Lions and their fragile tackling. On the other hand the Highlanders' confidence soared and would continue to do so till they led 21-3 and a bonus point seemed certain. After that the Lions played their best rugby, but that was in the second half.
The first half, after so mush promise, became tawdry and one wondered why the sparse crowd had bother to turn up.
The problem started at the scrum. Each scrum took ages. The teams took a long time to engage, New prop Eugene Maqwelana buckled repeatedly and then twice took time off to tie a bootlace. Eventually he was replaced by Ross Geldenhuys and the Lions' scrum was transformed. It was tough on Maqwelana. He had been placed in a situation where he should not have been - against the massive Highlanders' front row, the biggest and roughest in Super 14.
All of this made for an annoying, fractured game.
Vainikolo had another good run as the Highlanders again threatened the Lions' line. Their try had a gem of a moment. They won their fourth turn-over and went left before they cam back right. Craig Newby had a short burst and, as he fell in the tackle, he slipped a pass from under his arm-pit to Johnny Leota who cut through for a try at the posts. James Wilson converted. 7-0 after 11 minutes.
The Lions managed to get into Highlander territory and Jaco van Schalkwyk goaled a penalty when the home side went off-side. 7-3 after 14 minutes.
But really the Highlanders were in complete control as they fed off Lion meat.
From a scrum on the left, Newby fed Wilson who gave to Leota who ran past Van Schalkwyk and scored at the posts. It was a simple as it sounded though it had a lot to do with the speed and precision of the execution. 14-3 after 30 minutes.
When Tom Donnelly was penalised for a nasty high tackle on Dusty Nobble, Van Schalkwyk kicked dead. When Paul Williams was penalised for a shoulder charge the Lions kicked out but turned over the ball at the subsequent line-out.
At half-time the Highlanders' led 14-3, which was not a fair reflection of the half. They were much, much better than that.
It took them 32 seconds of the second half to score their third try. The Highlanders kicked off and the Lions kicked out. Newby got the ball in touch and threw it to fullback Williams who was just inside the Lions' half. He ran - it would have done his great father Bryan proud, down the field, changing direction slightly and scored near the posts. 21-0 after 40 minutes and 32 seconds.
The Lions looked easy meat.
The Lions attacked and it looked promising till Van Schalkwyk chipped to give away a comfortable mark. Louis Ludik had a run off a Highlander knock-on. He tried to chip infield but kicked into touch on his left instead. The subsequent Line-out was a mess for the home side. Donnelly knocked it back to nobody. The ball bounced high and Newby knocked it back to nobody. Van Schalk Wyk swooped on the gift and scored near the posts. 21-10 after 52 minutes.
A line-out was again the Highlanders' downfall. They were on the attack but Jason Macdonald overthrew the throw-in and Cobus Grobbelaar gather and immediately gave to his backs going left. Rayno Benjamin had an overlap and sped down the left wing. Hemmed in he bowled the ball infield to Walter Venter who took a low ball to swoop over in the corner. 21-15.
And there was more. Vainikolo was sent to the sin bin for a late shoulder charge and the Lions broke out on a handling error, for by now the Highlanders looked a wobbly group devoid of confidence. Walter Venter broke from a line-out going left and the Lions went right and then left again till big Willem Alberts burst over for a try near the posts than touch but Jano Vermaak's kick was well side. 21-20 after 59 minutes.
It had been a golden seven minutes for the Lions. But the shine did not last long. The Highlanders kicked the kick-off out on the full and the Lions had moments but six penalties against them in nine minutes slayed them. They had coin ceded two penalties in the first 40 minutes when they were defending but now that conceded six in nine when they were attacking.
From the third penalty the Highlanders ran a maul 25 metres ahead till Jimmy Cowan was close hand the Lions were penalised for collapsing. The Highlanders went for the five-metre line-out but the defence held and won a turn-over. The Highlanders stayed attacking and Dewald Senekal was penalised for being off-side at a tackle/ruck when the ball seemed well out. Wilson made it 24-20 after 70 minutes.
Jano Vermaak had not been quite his lively, efficient self and was substituted but his replacement was no impact player. Two dithers and the Highlanders scored. The second dither which was accompanied by a change of mind and five wasted paces saw him give the ball to big Isaac Ross on the Highlanders' 10-metre line. Off the tall man galloped, stopped just five metres from the Lions' line.
The Lions were free-kicked and the Highlanders chose a scrum. From the scrum they went right for a little way and then back to the left where Aaron Bancroft squeezed over in the corner. 29-20 and a bonus point for the Highlanders.
Man of the Match: Paul Williams had a fine game but nobody directed the Highlanders towards victory than Jimmy Cowan, our Man of the Match.
Moment of the Match: Paul Williams's try so early in the second half. It was an individual gem.
Villain of the match: Fetu'u Vainikolo had some scintillating moments, but he did drop the ball when he should have scored and then he was penalised for a deliberate knock-on and then sin-binned for a late shoulder charge, after which he was a quiet man.
Scorers:
For the Highlanders:
Tries: Leota 2, Williams, Bancroft
Cons: Wilson 2
Pens: Wilson
For the Lions:
Tries: Van Schalkwyk, Venter, Alberts
Cons: Van Schalkwyk
Pens: Van Schalkwyk
Yellow card: Fetu'u Vainikolo (Highlanders, 58 - foul play, late and shoulder charge)
Teams:
Highlanders: 15 Paul Williams, 14 Matt Saunders, 13 Brett Mather, 12 Johnny Leota, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 James Wilson, 9 Jimmy Cowan (vice-captain), 8 Craig Newby (captain), 7 Tim Boys, 6 Hoani MacDonald, 5 Tom
Donnelly, 4 Hayden Triggs, 3 Clint Newlands, 2 Jason Macdonald, 1 Jamie Mackintosh.
Replacements: 16 David Hall, 17 Chris King, 18 Isaac Ross, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Toby Morland, 21 Daniel Bowden, 22 Aaron Bancroft.
Auto and General Lions: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Dusty Noble, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rayno Benjamin, 10 Jaco van Schalkwyk, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, (captain), 5 Gerhard Mostert, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Eugene Maqwelana, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Dewald Senekal, 19 Wilhelm Koch, 20 Chris Jonck, 21 Rudi Vogt, 22 Jannie Boshoff.
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges: Ian Smith (Australia), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official: Shane McDermott (New Zealand)
Assessor:
Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)
