Home defeat for Cheetahs
First-half tries from Kenny Lynn and Fetu'u Vainikolo plus a Michael Hobbs effort after the break saw the Highlanders to victory.
Last Updated: 28/02/10 11:26am
First-half tries from Kenny Lynn and Fetu'u Vainikolo plus a Michael Hobbs effort after the break saw the Highlanders to victory at Vodacom Park.
Naas Olivier had kept the Cheetahs in the game with some accurate kicking but the South Africans were let down at the crucial moments.
Heinrich Brussow's try and a late score from Juan Smith were not enough to stop the hosts from sinking to a second defeat in three games.
Olivier got the Cheetahs away in the fifth minute after John Hardie was pinged for running ahead of Jimmy Cowan's kick, but the visitors hit back from the restart with Jason Rutledge and Clint Newland combining to send Lynn away for the opening try under the post.
Hobbs added the conversion before team-mate Israel Dagg missed the chance to extend the lead when he pulled a long-range penalty wide.
Olivier retaliated to cut the deficit to a point but the response was once again emphatic as Adrian Strauss lost the ball in a tackle and Vainikolo picked up the scraps to charge more than 60 metres for his side's second try.
Hobbs missed the extras but Olivier had another chance to narrow the gap before the break only to drag an easy penalty wide.
He redeemed himslef by slotting over shortly afterwards but Dagg responded in kind to give the Highlanders a 15-9 advantage at the interval.
An exchange of penalties followed as indiscipline began to creep in, and Jongi Nokwe was denied a score after Ben Smith's last-ditch tackle.
Dagg added another penalty to extend the lead beyond seven points, but just before the hour mark Broussow surged over to give the hosts another chance - although the video referee required three minutes to confirm the try.
Olivier added the extras to narrow the gap to two but then missed a penalty that would have given them the lead.
And he was made to pay by Dagg, who slotted his fourth penalty with 10 minutes left and then the visitors wrapped up the win when Hobbs made it to the line, Dagg again converting.
Smith touched down in the dying moments but Meyer Bosman failed to add the extras.
