Highlanders hold off Reds

The Highlanders overcame the shock of forfeiting a first minute try to keep alive their hopes of a play-off place with a 24-19 victory over the Reds in Invercargill.

Quade Cooper crossed early on for the visitors but both teams scored three tries in an evenly-matched contest with Highlanders' fly-half Matt Berquist booting his side to victory.

The hosts' line was broken 23 seconds into the contest when Berrick Barnes drifted onto a pass before offloading to Mark McLinden, who flicked superbly behind his back for the supporting Cooper to canter home.

Brendan McKibbin was unable to add the extras though, and Berquist was on target three minutes later following a high tackle on one of his team-mates.

However, the game became one of error and counter-error as the teams struggled to cope with the wet and windy conditions.

Confirmation

Josh Berkuis' drive through a pile of bodies in the 18th minute required confirmation from the television match official, and Berquist was again accurate with the kick as Highlanders moved into the lead.

The hosts certainly offered a more accomplished display than their guests and played it patiently, Berquist chosing his runners well and it was a rare phase indeed when the home side did not break the gain line.

The Reds soaked up the pressure well enough and rarely opened up, but a second home try seemed inevitable.

Yet having dominated for much of the first half hour, the Highlanders were left under their posts wondering how they could be behind.

McKibbin was the architect of the second Reds try, three times tapping for quick free-kicks before Hugh McMeniman bludgeoned his way through the fragmented defence. McKibbin converted.

Berquist pushed one chance to give his side the lead off to the right and the Highlanders kept up their siege, but it was the Reds who went into the dressing rooms a couple of points ahead.

Pressure

The Reds nearly began the second half as they had the first, with Peter Hynes haring off down the left, but Israel Dagg covered this time - perhaps helped by a suspicion of ring-rustiness in Hynes' pace in his first game back from injury.

The run precipitated a heavy spell of pressure from the visitors, their first such of the match, but it yielded nothing and the Highlanders scored next.

It was a brilliant try, a clean break through the middle from Daniel Bowden, popping it out to Jason Shoemark who delivered a wonderful scoring pass in a tackle for Kenny Lynn to coast home. Berquist converted to make it 17-12.

Back came the Reds with far more purpose and structure than before, using the taller timber around the fringes and keeping the wider options for more select purposes.

It certainly put the home side under more pressure, with Craig Joubert issuing two warnings at rucks for penalties and cards. But it yielded nothing.

The Highlanders scored the crucial score with 12 minutes to go, when George Naoupu just about made it to the line on a close-range charge although the Reds might look at the TMO decision with critical eyes. Berquist converted to make it 24-12.

Right from the restart Scott Higginbotham and McLinden combined thrillingly down the right, and some edge-of-the-seat offloading in the tackle eventually worked space for Digby Ioane to race home under the posts with nine to go and set up a tense finale.

But the visitors were unable to forge an opening of note as the Highlanders defence stood up to everything that was thrown at it.