PERTH: New Zealand's Otago Highlanders consolidated their place in the Super Rugby play-off positions with a comprehensive 23-3 win over Western Force in Perth on Saturday.
The Highlanders dominated territory and possession to score two second-half tries after shading the Force 6-3 at half-time.
In skipper Ben Smith's 100th Super Rugby match for the Highlanders, John Hardie scored off a rolling maul while scrum-half Aaron Smith backed up to score with six minutes left.
Fly-half Lima Sopoaga provided a solid goal-kicking performance with a conversion, two penalties and a drop goal. Replacement Marty Banks kicked the other conversion.
The Highlanders are locked in a battle with the Waikato Chiefs for second position in the New Zealand conference behind the Wellington Hurricanes and, following their win over the Force, they join the Chiefs on a 9-4 record.
Otago and the Chiefs meet next weekend in Invercargill.
Meanwhile, the Force remain winless against all Super Rugby teams in 2015 bar the defending champions New South Wales Waratahs.
The Force didn't make the most of chances to score in the first half and were made to pay with the Highlanders grinding their way to control the game.
"Our boys stuck at it tonight and credit to the Force, they are a hard team to put away," Smith said.
"We had to keep chipping away and we managed to get a bit of territory in the second half and got a few points out of it."
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