Highlanders defeat Waratahs 35-17 to reach Super Rugby final
Last Updated: 27/06/15 3:21pm
The Highlanders will take on the Hurricanes in an all New Zealand Super Rugby final after beating the Waratahs 35-17 at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.
Tries from Aaron Smith and Richard Buckman in the first half combined with a Waisake Naholo effort, a penalty try and a late Patrick Osborne score after the break sent the Highlanders to Wellington to face the Hurricanes next Saturday.
The reigning champion Waratahs had a first half try from Rob Horne and 12 points from the boot of fly-half Bernard Foley but were error-prone where the Highlanders were clinical in front of 32,632 at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Horne's 11th minute try from Foley's cross-kick was a rare moment of class from the Waratahs in the first half but it failed to settle their nerves.
The Highlanders were back in front eight minutes later when scrum-half Smith intercepted Wycliff Palu's pass off the back of a defensive scrum and touched down.
Two Foley penalties put the home side 11-8 up but the Highlanders struck back again after 33 minutes when Buckman ran through a succession of tacklers to score.
Another Foley penalty got the Waratahs to within a point at 15-14 at the break and his fourth 11 minutes after the break put them in front.
However The Highlanders stepped up a gear as winger Naholo brilliantly touched down just inside the dead ball line from his own chip for his 12th try of the season and two minutes later the Highlanders were awarded a penalty try, which Lima Sopoaga converted to give the visitors a 27-17 lead.
Osborne had been held up just before the line by flanker Jacques Potgieter but referee Craig Joubert decided his fellow South African had done so illegally with a swinging arm into the face of the Highlanders winger.
Potgieter also got 10 minutes in the sin-bin during which time the Waratahs failed to get out of their own half but little changed when they were back to 15 men and Osborne crossed from Sopoaga's cross-kick to seal the win two minutes from time.
"We know how hard it is to play against the Waratahs over here," said Highlanders full-back Ben Smith. "I think we got it right but we have another big challenge next week."
