Bulls 28
The Highlanders stunned the Bulls in Pretoria this morning (NZT) to maintain their unbeaten start to the Super 15 rugby season.
The unfancied Highlanders, who upset the Hurricanes and the Chiefs in the first two rounds, produced a committed display full of attacking zeal to down the defending champions 35-28 at Loftus Versfeld.
They did so on the back of four tries, two to livewire winger Kade Poki, and a forward effort that held their own against their much vaunted opposites.
MATCH STATS
SUPER 15 STANDINGS
They also showed resolve, as the Bulls, with a one man advantage in the final seven minutes, threatened to sneak a draw with a storming finish, but the Jamie Joseph-coached Highlanders withstood the late barrage to emerge with a well deserved win.
Highlanders captain Jamie Mackintosh said the start his team made set the platform for the victory.
"We got off to a pretty good start and I think when you play the Bulls at home they're going to be physical so one of our big things today was to meet that front up.
"We struggled at the end to close the game out which was disappointing. For my team to get off to three wins in the competition when no one gave us a chance at the start of the year ... is a great feeling," he said after the match.
The Highlanders were into their work from the kick-off and applied all the pressure by playing a high tempo game designed to stretch the Bulls' defence.
It paid early dividends, with Adam Thomson going over in the corner after an attack that used the width of the field.
The visitors were determined to keep up the frenetic pace and asked searching questions of the defending champions who had scraped to wins over the Cats and Cheetahs in rounds one and two.
Centre Kenny Lynn had a try denied after Ben Smith's foot strayed into touch after a surging run from the impressive Siale Piutau on the wing.
Such was their domination in the opening quarter that the Highlanders enjoyed 70 percent of the territorial advantage and forced the usually assured Bulls into a series of mistakes.
All the Bulls had to show for their efforts at the break were two penalties to Morne Steyn while two successful kicks by Robbie Robinson gave the New Zealand conference leaders a 11-6 halftime lead.
The Highlanders, with a one man advantage after Deon Stegmann was sin-binned just before the interval, struck almost immediately after the restart when lock Josh Bekhuis went over following concerted pressure.
Veteran Tony Brown, playing in his 84th Super rugby match for the Highlanders and 100th overall, a halftime replacement for Robinson, laid on the next try with a smart inside ball for Kade Poki and the Highlanders had stretched their lead to 25-9.
The Bulls regathered their composure and Flip van der Merwe's try narrowed the advantage and when Fourie du Preez went over to cut the deficit to seven points with 12 minutes left it looked like the Highlanders would be run down.
But Poki grabbed his second try almost immediately after the restart sparking a sweeping move from inside his own half and with Brown, who produced a faultless kicking display, landing the conversion the home side needed two converted tries to snatch a draw.
They had a sniff after Alando Soakai was sinbinned with seven minutes left and winger Bjorn Basson cashed in to set Highlanders' pulses racing.
Referee Stuart Dickinson missed the hand of Mackintosh in a ruck with time up and a botched scrum on their own line put the result in doubt until the last but the Highlanders emerged with a famous win.
Highlanders 35 (Kade Poki 2, Adam Thomson, Josh Bekhuis tries; Tony Brown 3con, pen, Robbie Robinson 2pen) Bulls 28 (Flip van der Merwe, Fourie du Preez, Bjorn Basson tries; Morne Steyn 2con, 3pen) Halftime: 11-6.
- NZPA
