ANDY COLQUHOUN, Cape Town | Monday 2.00pm.
THE Otago Highlanders assured themselves of a place in the Super 12 semi-finals and South Africa’s Stormers are almost there although five other teams are still in the hunt for the final two places.
The Highlanders’ fortuitous 9-8 victory over the ACT Brumbies put them onto 34 points and means the lowest position in which they can finish is fourth.
Brumbies’ kicker Stirling Mortlock missed five out of six attempts at goal in Dunedin on Saturday with Highlanders’ skipper Taine Randell admitting his side had played their ”get out of gaol” card.
The leaders appear in need of the weekend’s bye after 10 rounds without a break but could see top spot usurped by the Stormers.
Alan Solomons, coach of the Cape Town-based side, rested his entire first team controversially in round three but is now reaping the benefits.
His side looked fresh and eager in avenging a 74-28 defeat at Eden Park last year with a comprehensive 37-23 win over twice champions the Auckland Blues at Newlands.
The other clubs who retain mathematical hopes of one of the final two spots include the Queensland Reds, who stayed in third place with another masterfully controlled performance as they beat New South Wales 30-13 in Sydney to seriously undermine their countrymen’s hopes.
Reds coach John Connolly’s kick and tackle tactics — a throwback to pre-Super 12 rugby — paid off once again as the Waratahs were stifled in attack and were picked off by the boot of flyhalf Nathan Spooner, who scored 20 points from a conversion and six penalties.
The Reds finish their programme with home games against touring South African sides the Cats and Sharks.
The defending champion Canterbury Crusaders produced one of the season’s comebacks, overturning a 31-6 deficit against the Cats to run away with a 58-38 victory in Nelson, New Zealand.
It lifted the Crusaders into fourth place and revived their hopes of successfully defending their title after last week’s defeat by the Stormers.
In Friday’s match the Sharks lost 32-19 to the Chiefs in Hamilton, sliding from fourth to sixth on the standings.
It was the Chiefs’ fourth successive victory — achieved despite having their skipper Dylan Mike sent off for a high tackle in the first half — and seriously damaged the Sharks’ hopes of a fourth successive semi-final place.
They now have to beat both the Crusaders and Reds in their last two matches to have any chance. –Reuters