Rebels 18
Colin Slade's glass jaw was exposed again but his continuing injury woes were no Achilles heel for the Highlanders as they crushed the Melbourne Rebels 40-18 at AAMI Park tonight.
While the Highlanders rightly celebrated their third straight Super rugby win - and first on Australian soil since the NSW Waratahs were beaten at Sydney in 2007 - the All Black selectors would not have been as satisfied in the aftermath of a compelling performance by the over-achieving southern franchise who are now provisionally second in the New Zealand conference behind the Crusaders.
Slade, the leading contender to deputise for Daniel Carter at the World Cup, seems destined for another lengthy stint on the sidelines after he suffered another nasty facial injury in the fourth minute.
After passing the ball he collided with Rebels openside flanker Michael Lipman, a collision without malice that left the first five-eighth dazed and bloodied.
Slade was taken from the field to hospital for scans, and the initial prognosis was not promising given he had already sustained a fractured jaw in a pre-season trial and only made his comeback on April 1 against the Brumbies.
The body blow denied Slade an opportunity to witness his teammates inflict some serious pain on a Rebels side that was also seeking a third consecutive win.
Instead the Australian newcomers leaked six tries as the Highlanders exploited some inexcusably weak defence and the injury-enforced absence of captain Stirling Mortlock.
Wing Kade Poki emphasised the Rebels porous alignment when he beat six would-be tacklers after collecting a bounce pass from Shaun Treeby outside the 22-metre line and forging ahead.
Despite losing his balance he managed to evade Mark Gerrard, Greg Somerville, Lipman, Cooper Vuna - twice - Danny Cipriani and Nick Phipps before crashing over in the corner.
Fellow wing Siale Piutau also had a night to remember - he scored in first Super rugby try on the stroke of halftime and then produced the Highlanders bonus point four minutes after the resumption after some excellent lead-up work by Adam Thomson.
The flanker was a constant menace ranging wide though Piutau still had plenty of work to do before the usual suspects Vuna, Phipps and Cipriani were found wanting.
The erratic Cipriani opened the scoring with a seventh minute penalty when Thomson infringed at a ruck though the mobile blindside soon atoned for his lapse.
The former All Black forced the ball under a mass of bodies to get the Highlanders in front and fittingly he also scored the last after a 60-metre burst down the right hand touch after collecting Jimmy Cowan's clever chip.
The Rebels regrouped from substantial early deficits against the Hurricanes and Force in their two previous victories but there was no escape route after they trailed 22-6 at the break.
Lock Hugh Pyle crossed for a consolation try with 15 minutes remaining though that five-pointer was quickly negated by a rare place kicking success by Slade's replacement Robbie Robinson and Thomson's break out.
Robinson produced some nice touches in general play and had he not missed seven kicks at goal the Rebels would have experienced a humiliating defeat.
A 78th minute barge under the posts by former All Black prop Greg Somerville also salvaged some respectability.
The Rebels, who remain third in the Australian conference, face a tough trip to Auckland next weekend while the Highlanders have the second leg of their southern derby against the Crusaders in Nelson on Saturday.
Highlanders 40 (Siale Piutau 2, Adam Thomson 2, Alando Soakai, Kade Poki tries; Robbie Robinson 2 pen 2 con)
Melbourne Rebels 18(Hugh Pyle, Greg Somerville tries; Danny Cipriani 2 pen con) Halftime: 22-6
- NZPA
