Waratahs dent Highlanders hopes for place in 2011 Super Rugby play-offs: Rugby news
Australian conference team, Waratahs, have severely damaged New Zealander derby Highlanders hopes for a place in the 2011 Super Rugby Championship with their bonus point victory over the visitors on their home ground. Waratahs defeated the Highlanders 33
– 7 in their super xv round seventeen encounters on Saturday, June 11, at Aussies Stadium in Sydney.
The bonus point victory has placed the Waratahs in fifth position in the combined Super Rugby tables with 52 points coming from their fifteen matches in the tournament. However, Highlanders have slipped to eighth position with 45 points from their 15 matches.
Other competitors on the tables include Hurricanes at ninth and Chiefs at the tenth position after having played 15 matches and secured 41 and 40 points respectively. At the same time it’s very early for Waratahs to claim their place in the play-offs, particularly
as they will be playing their last round match of the super xv against the ACT Brumbies who have delivered some sensational performances in the ending phases of the competition.
Waratahs were playing in front of the home crowd and started the match with the intent to win and took the lead in the crunch-match during the eighth minute courtesy of their centre Tom Carter’s try. Waratahs failed on the conversion but the Waratahs flanker,
David Dennis, extended the hosts lead with his 14th minute try followed by their fly half Kurtley Beale’s successful conversion.
Highlanders’ hooker Jason Rutledge’s 27th minute try put the visitors first points on the scoreboard. Their fly half Tony Brown’s conversion reduced the lead to just five points. However, the Highlanders to be proved their last scored points in
the game as the failed to produce results in rest of the game.
With a few minutes remaining in the first-half, Carter scored his second try of the match followed by Beale’s successful conversion to give Waratahs a 12 point lead at the end of the half.
In the second-half both teams enjoyed decent spells of ball possession but Waratahs were able to consolidate on the moves. For Waratahs, Carter scored his third try of the game in the 73rd minute of the game followed by Beale’s third successful
conversion of the game.
Waratahs substitute fly half, Josh Holmes, scored Waratahs bonus point try in the 77th minute of the game, as Beale followed with his conversion to give hosts a massive victory in front of the home crowd.
Waratahs will have to wait until the end of the round matches to be sure of their place in the final play-offs and their impressive performance today might very well help them to achieve their goal of reaching the super xv post-season.
Tags: