Rugby: Bonus try sets off Mooloo celebrations

Air NZ Cup
Otago 29
Waikato35

They celebrated as if they had won the championship.

Wing Tim Mikkelson touched down in the corner and was immediately surrounded by his Waikato team-mates.

Waikato were probably going to win anyway - they were leading 30-29 with just seconds on the clock - but Mikkelson's try gave them a bonus point victory. It could be a bonus point that proves the difference in their season.

Waikato moved to 31 competition points, temporarily third on the table, and keeping alive their top-four aspirations.

They are by no means assured of a place in the semifinals with other teams lurking. Their home game against Auckland in the final round could decide one team's fate.

Waikato probably deserved to win yesterday but they made hard work of it.

They led 7-0 inside three minutes when Jackson Willison scored the first of his two tries. They butchered another three in the next 12 minutes as they camped in Otago's half.

At that stage, it looked like only one result was possible. And a convincing one at that.

Their scrum was dominant, halfback Brendon Leonard looked sharp and Otago coughed up possession. The home side ventured into opposition territory only once in the first 18 minutes.

But they made Waikato pay for their profligacy and trailed by only 20-19 at the break.

Fullback Ben Smith was at the centre of most of Otago's attacking impetus.

The 23-year-old local lad, who went to King's High School which is not too many punts of a rugby ball away from the 'Brook, has had a great season and is very much in the John Leslie mould.

He doesn't look much like a top-level rugby player but has timing and balance and was a constant menace to the visitors from the north.

He set up Adam Thomson for Otago's first try in the 22nd minute with a silky break from inside his own half and a perfectly-timed pass to a rampaging Thomson.

Smith also played a big hand in the second for wing Karne Hesketh just before the halftime break.

Otago, though, just couldn't break away from Waikato and you always sensed the visitors would do enough.

Willison and prop Hikairo Forbes scored soft tries either side of halftime, Stephen Donald kicked 15 points and Otago continued to offer up turnovers.

Smith was at least rewarded for his fine display with a 75th-minute try after a sustained build-up that gave Otago a sniff of a chance. But it has been a season of near-misses - five of their eight defeats have been by seven points or less - and this was another one.

Waikato are timing their run to perfection. Yesterday was their sixth win in seven games and they will need to continue that when they host Northland next weekend.

And the weekend after that.

Then they would really have something to celebrate.

Otago 29 (A. Thompson, K. Hesketh, B. Smith tries, G. Dickson 3 pens, con) Waikato 35 (J. Willison 2, H. Forbes, T. Mikkelson tries, S. Donald 3 pens, 3 cons). HT: 19-20.