Highlanders 27 Force 41
This was the nadir of their season, even by the Highlanders' modest standards of recent years.
The 5000 fans who gathered under the shadow of the Remarkables at the Queenstown Events Centre yesterday had reasonable expectations of a Highlanders victory, but left shaking their heads at ineptitude.
The Highlanders, ahead
22-20 with 10 minutes to play, conceded three converted tries (21 points) at the business end as they slumped to their seventh loss in nine matches.
Schoolboy mistakes, poor discipline (captain Jimmy Cowan and prop Clint Newland were both sin-binned) and weak defence were all symptomatic of a season which has gone horribly wrong.
The Perth-based Force had one win in seven games before yesterday and scored only seven tries.
Yesterday they scored six against a defence which lacked both communication and resolve, and they doubled their competition points tally to 10. It must have seemed like Christmas.
The Force must like Queenstown - they also won here in 2008 - and they will spend a few more days in the resort before they head with renewed confidence to Auckland to play the Blues.
The first and only New Zealand Super 14 afternoon match of the season was played under a cloudless sky but, with the 11th- and 13th-placed teams as the combatants, the quality was average.
That was until late in the second spell when the Force, ignited by replacement halfback Justin Turner, found a rich vein of form as the Highlanders wilted.
The Highlanders were so bad yesterday that the head coach, Glenn Moore and his assistant Peter Russell, will surely be looking for new jobs next year. And so should many of the players.
There was bad news before the game when fullback Israel Dagg, one of the Highlanders' few shining lights this season, was ruled out with a groin strain.
Ben Smith, an All Black late last year, moved from the wing to fullback and he was one of the Highlanders' best with his swift, strong running and his intelligent reading of the game.
There was not too much intelligence elsewhere and the Highlanders' game plan, which had been difficult to discern in recent weeks, was again a mystery yesterday.
Kendrick Lynn did his best at centre, as did wing Fetu'u Vainikolo, while flanker Adam Thomson, lock Josh Bekhuis, prop Chris King (who scored a try in his 50th Super game) and hooker Jason Rutledge were the pick of the pack.
Force captain and lock Nathan Sharpe - who described the game as "strange", with a smile on his face - was inspirational in the lineouts and around the field and David Pocock was a top-quality openside flanker.
Former All Black David Hill controlled play expertly from first five-eighth, Ryan Cross ran strongly in midfield and bagged two tries, as did wing Cameron Shepherd on his return from injury.
James O'Connor displayed some classy touches at fullback.
For the Highlanders, who have a bye next week to reflect on their miserable season, this was rock bottom.
There were some worried men last night, not least those on the New Zealand Rugby Union, which is keepingthe Highlanders' financially afloat.
Highlanders 27 (Chris King, Steven Setephano, Fetu'u Vainikolo tries, Matt Berquist 4 pens ); Force 41 ( Cameron Shepherd, 2, Ryan Cross, 2, James O'Connor, Justin Turner tries, O'Connor 4 cons, pen. ). HT: Force, 10-6.
