Highlanders 35
Reds 30
As Aaron Smith shook hands with his Highlanders teammates after their 35-30 win over the Reds in Dunedin, tears filled his eyes.
With the Highlanders having no chance of being at home in the playoffs and going on the road to meet the Blues next weekend, Friday night’s match against the Reds was the last time Smith would run out under the roof in a Highlanders jersey.
It will be one that stays with the 184-match veteran for some time.
Smith played an influential role in the Highlanders’ win in a 66-minute stint, and then watched on from the sidelines as his heir apparent Folau Fakatava scored in the corner moments before the hooter sounded to give the Highlanders the victory.
The Highlanders had taken the lead for the first time in the 70th minute, before the Reds snatched it back moments later. After a couple of blown chances, it looked like the hosts would fall short and be at risk of elimination from the playoff race.
But as long as there is time on the clock in a one-score game, there is a chance. A Reds knock-on opened the door, and Fakatava was the one to make it count.
Not only was it a fairytale send-off for Smith, but the win also ensured the Highlanders will go into the final week with their playoff hopes alive.
It was the Reds who had the better of the early play on an emotional night in Dunedin. The visitors made some good defensive plays early, but execution with ball in hand robbed them of chances to strike. However, captain Liam Wright didn’t let them waste a third opportunity inside Highlanders territory, running over the top of Smith from close range to score.
It would be Wright’s last play of the game, leaving the match injured after Hugh Renton’s sliding attempt to stop the try saw him collide with Wright awkwardly.
It was Wright’s replacement Jake Upfield who scored the next try – finishing off a standout contender for try of the season. It came after the Highlanders had a good opportunity, but Freddie Burns’ crossfield stab kick just beat Jonah Lowe into touch 5m from the tryline.
Off the back of the ensuing lineout, No 8 Harry Wilson – a standout figure of the first half - ran a great line off the back of it, beating a poor tackle attempt to shoot through the line into open space. He linked with James O’Connor, who sent the ball back infield desperately as he was being taken into touch. It found a Reds teammate, and they moved the ball before eventually Upfield dove over.
The Highlanders’ heads didn’t go down, though. They finally got some meaningful field position and after a couple of false starts, scored through Jona Nareki.
Nareki was strong in the first half, and was again in the thick of things when he was able to force a 5m attacking scrum after chasing a Burns kick in behind the Reds defence. The Highlanders executed well, with Renton darting off the back of the scrum – looking off a wide-open Smith on his outside to hold the ball and score himself.
It was a frantic opening 30 minutes, but the Reds’ stocks took a big hit as the half wound to a close, losing both lock Connor Vest and halfback Tate McDermott to failed head injury assessments before the half was over.
They did, however, take the lead back just before the break when Suliasi Vunivalu was put through off a beautiful short ball.
Signing off his halftime interview with a long, loud sigh, Reds assistant coach Kane Hames summed things up nicely. His side were on top of the first half, but lost three key players, leaving their reserves stretched.
It was more of the same in the second half; both sides having their moments but the Highlanders looking the more likely to put points on the board.
That proved to be the case, keeping the Reds out of the in-goal for the second half and scoring three of their own tries to claim the win right at the death.
Highlanders 35 (Jona Nareki, Hugh Renton, Saula Ma’u, Connor Garden-Bachop, Folau Fakatava tries; Sam Gilbert 4 cons, Freddie Burns con)
Reds 30 (Liam Wright, Jake Upfield, Suliasi Vunivalu tries; Tom Lynagh 3 cons, 3 pens)
HT: 14-21
