HIGHLANDERS 26
CRUSADERS 14
KEY POINTS:
A week ago, All Black coach Graham Henry told Glenn Moore all of New Zealand wanted the Highlanders to start winning.
Henry could not have known that the country did not have long to wait. There was a hint of the miraculous about Saturday night as the Highlanders finished a disappointing season on an unimaginable high note with a stirring victory against the Crusaders.
After the match, Moore reflected on a tough season for the Southerners. "We started from the ground floor this year. We had to start from somewhere and we had to have a level of realism. We've come close against good sides and these guys will be a hell of a lot better next year."
Halfback Toby Morland said the poor season to date and the departure of captain Craig Newby, among others, provided motivation for the performance.
"This means everything. Newby's going and other boys might never play for us again," Morland said. "To come together this week and pull out a performance like that is bloody awesome.
"We knew we weren't given a chance. But we still have a huge level of self-belief. Games we'd lost earlier in the year were by two or three points, so we knew we were as good as anyone.
"Round 13's obviously a bit late but we've just beaten the Crusaders, so who cares?"
It was the Highlanders' first win in Christchurch since 1996, back when AMI Stadium was still known as Lancaster Park and it was the first time in four years the Crusaders did not pick up a bonus point at home.
In danger of ending with the wooden spoon going into the last round, the Highlanders finished in 11th place.
There were scenes of jubilation at the final whistle as the Highlanders - variously described as battling or beleaguered since the Super 14 started in February - celebrated the upset of the season. Craig Newby, playing his 66th and final game for the franchise, pumped his fist in triumph and his excited teammates revelled in the silence of the stunned Christchurch crowd.
Outside the Highlanders' dressing room, Moore wore the satisfied smile of a coach who ended his first year in the job with a result that helped ease the pain of 10 previous losses from 12 games.
"I thought there'd been signs through the year, in a patchy way, that we had the ability to put teams away," Moore said. "Two weeks ago, against the Cheetahs, we showed a new level of maturity in terms of how to control a game and how to soak up pressure.
"I did actually have a level of confidence going into this game."
Moore said he never doubted his ability as a coach this year, and he never doubted the painstaking rebuilding of the Highlanders would eventually pay off.
"First and foremost, I'm really delighted for those boys in that dressing room. They put out a complete performance.
"We've brought a group of young guys together. They've grown and I think they've showed real signs of maturity. The real drive now has to be for us to bring them back and get better next year."
The shock loss did not affect the Crusaders, technically, as they were already guaranteed a home semifinal. But it proved to the rest of the competition that anything is possible.
The TAB had its biggest windfall since rugby turned professional when a punter laid $100,000 on a Crusaders' win at odds of $1.08.
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
