Stand-in captain Aaron Smith said the clash between his Highlanders and the Waratahs was an ‘ugly’ contest showing just how desperate both sides were to win.
The second match of Super Rugby Pacific’s Culture Round was littered with discipline issues on both sides, each team losing a man to the sin bin.
The Highlanders failed to capitalise when the Waratahs lost Lalakai Foketi for a dangerous tackle.
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However, the visitors were punished when they lost one of their own at the death when Pari Pari Parkinson was sent off for a cynical play.
That came right on their own goal line and with less than two minutes to go Mahe Vailanu scored the only try of the second half for the Waratahs.
A one-point deficit turned into a one-point advantage with the conversion – ultimately the deciding factor.
“Pretty ugly, to be honest,” Smith told Stan Sport’s Drew Mitchell.
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“Two teams desperate for a win and trying really hard. You could see both teams really desperate and trying their hearts out but probably lacked a bit of accuracy – both teams.
“Lacked that real calmness to finish things and it was the team who could have the last punch.
“We had a chance to really put it out there and our skill errors and execution let us down.
“Yeah, bummer.”
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Smith scored one of the match-defining tries that put the Highlanders out to a 20-16 lead after half time.
He went off just short of the final play that secured the Waratahs the win.
Smith noted inconsistencies across the board by both teams, as neither team really took a hold of the contest.
“You could see either team, there were no long stretches of phases,” said Smith.
“There was no consistency in play and no real dominance in that second half from either team, but it was the team that got the last try,
“We knew we could hold the ball and play some rugby in the second half.
“We had two or three two-on-ones and three-on-twos and just poor decision-making and poor execution and you’ve got to nail those and I think it’s probably proof of where both teams are at in the comp.
“I wish when I came off it was at a better state of the game, not five to six points,” he added.
“That’s the hardest thing about Super Rugby Pacific, they’re 80-minute games and the cream of the crop are at the top because they nail their execution and they’re ruthless in their detail.
“We’re still chasing that and we got shown a lesson in that last five minutes. They waited, patient, and stuck in, used their forward to get their last five metres and yeah, it’s a bummer, it’s been a hard tour.”
The Waratahs will head north to Townsville to face the Queensland Reds while the Highlanders host the Chiefs in Dunedin.
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