Carisbrook clean sweep for hyped Highlanders
By Brent Edwards

No wonder they love Carisbrook. The Otago Highlanders will fly to South Africa today with their semifinal prospects revived after they comprehensively beat the Chiefs 38-6 on Thursday night.

It completed a Carisbrook clean sweep for the Highlanders, whose four tries to none victory gave them 24 points out of a maximum 25 on their home ground this season. They scored 183 points to 89 (21 tries to 10) in their five matches and it was little wonder they felt disposed to complete a lap of thanks for their fans. Even the weather relented and the ground announcer, clearly a dedicated train-spotter, proudly announced this was the 38th consecutive game at Carisbrook without rain.

Reserve hooker Tom Willis celebrated his 21st birthday when he subbed captain Anton Oliver for the last 10 minutes but not before Oliver - a magnificent contributor and leader - had ensured the door had been locked on the Chiefs. The foundations of the Highlanders' win were the urgency and commitment of the entire pack and some outstanding defence which kept their opposition tryless for the first time for 14 games. Whether it was Marc Ellis scything down Isitolo Maka, big lock Brendon Timmins making tackles in midfield or Oliver mowing over anyone in his path, the defence was watertight and a vast improvement on recent games.

Ahead 13-6 at half-time, the Highlanders scored 25 unanswered points in 24 minutes in the second spell as they hammered home the advantage achieved by their tight five. Romi Ropati scored the only try of the first half after 21 minutes when, after three phases, Tony Brown made a half-gap and put his centre in the clear. But the defining moment was the sin-binning of Chiefs' forward Chresten Davis for a professional foul four minutes into the second spell. The Highlanders scored 10 points in the 10 minutes he was off the field, Oliver scoring the second try when the pack drove on a John Blaikie line-out take. Ahead 23-6, the

Highlanders played with increasing confidence and composure and it was a little ironic their third try came after a period of furious attack from the Chiefs. Ellis latched on to a loose ball 10m from his line, linked with Kelvin Middleton and it was the same pair who finished the move at the opposite end of the ground, Ellis taking Middleton's pass and scampering for the corner. Twelve minutes from the end the Highlanders secured what could prove a precious bonus point, big No 8 Paul Miller ploughing over after another line-out drive from another take by Blaikie.

The forwards sustained their energy and hunger, Carl Hoeft and Timmins among those to show fire in the belly, but this was very much a pack effort. Miller had a cracking duel with Maka. Both emerged with credit, though Miller's hands let him down two or three times in promising situations. Byron Kelleher was, as he had planned, cool, calm and collected, as he read his options more accurately than the previous game and maintained a high work-rate. He and Brown, whose 18 points brought his Super 12 tally for the year to 119, played with a lot of assurance but there were too many hiccups and wrong options further out for the backs to be totally convincing. The pluses were the form of Ellis on the right wing and Jeff Wilson at fullback, the latter displaying deft skills and getting involved more than at any time this season.

The Chiefs, frankly, were average but they were not helped by the disruptions to their pack. Glen Marsh withdrew on match morning with influenza; lock Mark Cooksley was forced off with a back injury caused by the power of the Highlanders' scrum and Davis' sin-binning was the last straw. Maka, captain Glenn Taylor and Davis were the most valuable contributors in the forwards while second five-eighth Mark Ranby - who showed genuine class in all he did - was outstanding in an often ragged backline.