Wilson shines as Highlanders beat Chiefs

Jeff Wilson turned on the golden touch and earned a special mention from his coach after the Highlanders beat the Chiefs 45-18 at Centennial Park, Oamaru, last night.

The Highlanders scored five tries to two in the pre-season match, including three in the final five minutes to blow out the scoreline.

Wilson was absent from the scoresheet but his contribution to the game, particularly in the latter stages, was immense.

Wilson played the major role in setting up the Highlanders' third try, ghosting into space and floating a perfect pass to replacement Romi Ropati.

"It was good to see Jeff doing well. I thought he was quite outstanding," Highlanders coach Laurie Mains said.

There was a distinct lack of magic to the game in the first quarter, during which Tony Brown and Glen Jackson exchanged penalties as both sides felt the full force of Paddy O'Brien's whistle.

The Chiefs scored the first try, with Bruce Reihana chipping a kick for fellow winger Roger Randle to collect, but the Highlanders took a 20-15 lead into the second half after tries to centre Ryan Nicholas and No. 8 Paul Miller.

Nicholas showed superb skills to kick forward a low pass, regather and step inside Randle, while Miller's effort followed strong work by Anton Oliver and Byron Kelleher.

The game appeared to be fizzing out with less than 10 minutes to play when Wilson worked his magic to send in Ropati. Kelvin Middleton emerged from a pile of bodies to claim the Highlanders' fourth try, with towering lock Peter Bowden scoring in the final minute.

The result probably flattered the Highlanders, who played messy rugby for lengthy periods.

However, there was much for Mains to be satisfied with, including several individual performances.

Miller was arguably the outstanding forward of the game, continuing the form he showed last season that resulted in an All Blacks jersey.

No less impressive in the forward pack was young flanker Sam Harding, who out-played his Chiefs counterpart, Marty Holah, and was a work-horse on defence.

Lock Simon Maling was the dominant figure in a reliable Highlanders line-out, prop Carl Hayman led an impressive effort from the front row and captain Taine Randell was involved in everything.

The Highlanders backs were a frustrated bunch at times but second five-eighth Paul Steinmetz and Nicholas looked a promising combination in midfield and halfback Byron Kelleher, when he wasn't picking a fight, was a bundle of energy.

No 8 Deon Muir and hooker Keven Mealamu were the pick of the Chiefs forwards, with Jackson and the enthusiastic Randle standing out in the backs.

Scores: Highlanders 45 (Paul Miller, Ryan Nicholas, Romi Ropati, Kelvin Middleton, Peter Bowden tries; Tony Brown 4 conversions, 4 penalty goals), Chiefs 18 (Roger Randle, Danny Lee tries; Glen Jackson conversion, 2 penalty goals).

Match statistics: Line-outs, Highlanders 13-6; penalties, Chiefs 14-10; scrums, Chiefs 12-3; kicking, Brown 8-10, Jackson 3-4, Blair Feeney 0-1. Half-time: 20-15. Crowd: About 4500. Referee: Paddy O'Brien