Sopoaga boots Highlanders back to winning form

WELLINGTON: Lima Sopoaga returned the Otago Highlanders to winning ways when they beat the ACT Brumbies 23-10 in a tough Super Rugby encounter in cold, wet conditions in Invercargill on Saturday.

Sopoaga scored 18 of the Highlanders points including three vital penalties late in the game.

But while the fly-half was the point-scoring hero, the victory was also a credit to a stubborn Highlanders defence after the Brumbies had them on the back foot for much of the game.

The Otago side were forced to make 160 tackles to 37 for the Brumbies who won the rucks and maul count 145-38.

"In that first half the Brumbies had a lot of momentum but couldn't turn it into points. Our defence was really good and we managed to keep them out," Highlanders skipper Ben Smith said.

"What we pride ourselves on is our defence and being able to work really hard for each other and get to the spots we need our mates to get to."

Both sides entered the clash at Super Rugby's southern-most outpost desperate to snap out of mid-season slumps.

The defending champion Highlanders had fallen off the pace with losses to the Queensland Reds and Coastal Sharks in their last two matches while the Brumbies slipped to second in the Australian conference when beaten by the Canterbury Crusaders last week.

Despite the slippery ball resulting in handling errors, there was a willingness to play at pace although points were not easy to come by in the tight first half.

The Brumbies, having tried and failed with three lineout drives when Sam Carter was penalised each time for obstruction, hit the front 3-0 with a Christian Lealiifano penalty after 15 minutes.

It was not until the stroke of half-time that the Highlanders turned the scoreboard to go into the break with a 7-3 lead.

A well-weighted Ben Smith kick forced the Brumbies onto their own line where they conceded a five-metre scrum and a long Aaron Smith pass put Sopoaga outside three defenders and he crossed unopposed for the try.

Ben Smith stretched the lead to 14-3 early in the second half touching down after Malakai Fekitoa bumped off an attempted Tevita Kuridrani tackle.

But the Brumbies were not done and found the answer to their rolling maul woes was to throw to Carter in the lineout rather than use him as a block and the big lock duly obliged by winning the ball for hooker Josh Mann-Rea to score.

At 14-10 to the Highlanders with 30 minutes to play the outcome was in the balance before a succession of infringements by the Brumbies allowed Sopoaga to stretch the difference to a comfortable margin.