Waratahs delight in Dunedin
The Waratahs had to overcome dreadful weather conditions to beat the Highlanders 15-12.
Last Updated: 01/03/08 5:03pm
New South Wales Waratahs had to overcome dreadful weather conditions to beat the Otago Highlanders 15-12 in Dunedin on Saturday.
The visitors fought back from 12-10 down at half-time as the home side were prevented from scoring a single point in the second half at a soaked Carisbrook.
Kurtley Beale's kicking proved crucial to the Waratahs' win in atrocious conditions that saw the visitors extend their record to 10 wins from 13 games against the Highlanders since Super Rugby began.
Both sides ran in two tries apiece, but it was the Highlanders who made the brighter start as winger Fetu'u Vainikolo opened the scoring with a try in the 16th minute.
Turnaround
Beale's penalty closed the gap to 5-3 when Highlanders' lock Tom Donnelly was yellow carded for a professional foul in the ruck.
Despite being a man light the home side extended their advantage with a converted try through replacement forward Adam Thomson's brilliant solo effort.
But Ben Jacobs hit back after a period of sustained pressure for the Waratahs and Beale converted from the touchline to reduce the visitors' deficit to two points at half-time.
Conditions deteriorated even further after the interval, but Mike Delany's attempted grubber kick still managed to find Jacobs breaking for the line.
The centre managed to stay in touch despite an ankle tap and he then found Wycliff Palu for the Waratahs' second try of the match.
Palu celebrated his try with a yellow card after punching Jimmy Cowan, the man who had attempted to tackle him, but the visitors still managed to hold on for victory.
