The Highlanders have continued their Super 15 rugby resurgence with the prized scalp of the Crusaders in a sterling 26-18 victory at Nelson`s Trafalgar Park.
The hosts threw plenty at them in the 2nd half, including introducing regular starters Sonny Bill Williams and Sean Maitland to the backline after starts on the bench, but the Highlanders defence stood up to the task.
The win, their seventh from nine matches, takes the Highlanders to 34 points, one can the Crusaders and five adrift of the New Zealand conference-leading Blues, who are also atop the overall standings.
The Crusaders were missing key players such as All Blacks Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read but they could have few excuses, outplayed across the commons by a Highlanders team which impressed in the forward exchanges and with some uncompromising defence.
The Highlanders, 44-13 losers against the Crusaders in Dunedin earlier this season, made the worst possible beginning with Crusaders pivot Matt Berquist landing a 50m penalty after only a minute.
Tony Brown replied with a punishment of his own before the Crusaders struck the first significant reversal of the evening, fullback Israel Dagg making a breaking down the blindside before drawing his opposite, Robbie Robinson, and sending left wing Zac Guildford on a clean run to the line.
The Highlanders were rewarded for their ball-in-hand approach when wing Sione Piutau finished off a neat scrum move, which twice featured former Crusaders No.8 Nasi Manu.
Berquist pushed the gap out to 5 points with a wind-assisted 45m dropped goal but the Highlanders took a 15-13 lead into the half-time break after wing James Paterson broke free down the left wing and made short mould of a weak attempted tackle from Dagg to make in the corner.
In a near mirror image of the possibility to the 1st half, Berquist botched the 2nd half restart and the Highlanders made them pay.
With numbers out wide Brown showed all his see in astutely assessing the site before sending a pin-point cross kick to Paterson, who alone had to see the globe and come over the line for his back and the Highlanders` third try of the match.
The Crusaders hammered by at the visitors but they were unable to gain traction, at least until inside centre Adam Whitelock swooped on a free pass in midfield to sprint 50m and score unopposed in the corner.
That brought the Crusaders to within two points at 18-20 with time on their face but Brown was gifted two simple penalties in immediate succession and the southerners expertly used the wind to protect their head and suffocate the old New Zealand conference leaders.
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2010 AAP
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