Highlanders hold out gallant Force

Highlanders 25 Western Force 22

The Western Force squandered another gilt-edged chance to win their first Super 14 rugby match, going down 22-25 to the Highlanders at Carisbrook in Dunedin today.

A mistake-riddled game nearly ended on a glorious note for the winless Force, as a chip kick after the hooter from star fullback Cameron Shepherd bounced desperately beyond his grasp.

Moments earlier Shepherd scored a 90m intercept try, his second of the match, to give his side hope but they trudged off with only a bonus point to show. It was the same outcome as their desperately close loss to the Stormers last weekend, much to the frustration of captain Nathan Sharpe.

"It's indicative of our season so far. This one's going to hurt the boys the most out of all our games this season," Sharpe said.

"It's not very often that you get yourself in a position to win in Dunedin and we certainly did that today.

"I don't think it's hard luck for us, we're making a rod for our own back at the moment.

"We're shutting off for 10 minute periods of the game. We're playing some excellent football and then we're letting it go."

Victory would have been on their mind late in the first half as well as the Force opened up a 15-3 lead.

However, the Highlanders took control through the middle part of the match but their lack of composure and continuity prevented them from pulling clear of the competition's last-placed team.

Captain Craig Newby summed his team's feelings at the final whistle.

"Relief after that first half we put in, which is probably the worst half of rugby I've ever been involved in," he said.

"We were trying our guts out but everything we did, we dropped it, we couldn't get phases together.

"We got a rev-up from Coops (coach Greg Cooper) and we deserved it.

"We came out and had a bit of pride in our skills."

Newby said the Force were improving every week but said his side were desperate not to be the first to lose to the new franchise.

Both sides scored three tries in a game marked by the glut of handling errors and missed tackles.

There was also a black moment when Force second five-eighth Scott Staniforth delivered a vicious shoulder to the head of flanker Josh Blackie off the ball midway through the second spell as the frustrated visitors struggled to get their hands on the ball.

Victory is their fifth from nine games for the Highlanders and lifts them to the fringe of the top four but a major improvement will be needed next week when they host the third-placed Highlanders.

Missing injured lock James Ryan and with his All Blacks teammates Anton Oliver on the bench, they made an especially slow start.

Force prop Gareth Hardy was the unlikely first tryscorer in the eighth minute, powering onto a flat pass by halfback Matt Henjak.

Shepherd missed the conversion but landed a penalty soon afterwards to extend the lead.

Highlanders opposite Ben Blair slotted a penalty in reply but was the chief villain as Shepherd scooted over for the second Force try on the half hour.

Shepherd stepped out of the attempted tackle of centre Neil Brew and left Blair flailing with a swerve. He landed the wide conversion to hand the visitors a 15-3 advantage.

Highlanders hooker Jason Macdonald burrowed over for his first try in Super rugby soon before the break, reducing the margin to seven points as his side turned with a breeze at their back.

The scores were level as the Highlanders forwards began to assert themselves, with Blackie powering over after a long period of pressure.

The hosts hit the front for the first time with 20min remaining through a snappy scrum blindside move on the halfway line. Replacement halfback Chris Smylie put Blair through a whole and the fullback drew the final defender to put winger Vilimoni Delasau clear.

The Highlanders pressed for a bonus point through a fourth try but instead handed a bonus to their opponents through the 90m intercept try to Shepherd.

Highlanders 25 (Jason Macdonald, Josh Blackie, Vilimoni Delasau tries; Ben Blair 2 pen, 2 con)
Western Force 22 (Cameron Shepherd 2, Gareth Hardy tries; Shepherd pen, 2 con).
HT: 8-15

-NZPA