Waratahs stay on course
New South Wales Waratahs centre Tom Carter scored a hat-trick to lead his side to victory over Otago Higlanders.
Last Updated: 11/06/11 1:47pm
New South Wales Waratahs centre Tom Carter scored a hat-trick of tries to lead his side to a 33-7 victory over Otago Higlanders.
The bonus point victory moved the Waratahs to 52 points and left them still in contention for the top-six play-offs with one match to play next week against the ACT Brumbies.
But the Highlanders' third sucessive defeat eliminated them from contention.
The Highlanders enjoyed 60% of possession and the majority of field position in the first half, but finished it 19-7 down against a Kurtley Beale-inspired Waratahs' side that made the most of their limited opportunities.
Beale was highly impressive, with two runs in the first half leading to tries for his side, while hard-running centre Tom Carter sealed man-of-the-match honours with a hat-trick of four-pointers.
Skipper Phil Waugh and No 8 Wycliff Palu made successful returns from injury for the Waratahs, although neither saw much of the second half, with coach Chris Hickey preferring to ease them back into the frame ahead of next weekend's crucial final-round clash with the Brumbies at ANZ Stadium.
Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau may struggle to make that match after he was affected by a knee injury for the majority of this game.
The Waratahs looked good early and were rewarded with the opening try in ninth minute when Beale danced his way through the defence from a kick return then produced a pinpoint grubber in the direction of the left corner for Carter to claim the first of his three tries for the match.
Beale missed his sideline conversion attempt leaving the home side in front 5-0.
Six minutes later the Melbourne-bound player raced 50 metres downfield from a turnover to set up a try for hard-working Dave Dennis after some fine support play from Polota-Nau. Beale converted and the Tahs had a 12-point lead.
The Highlanders, though, were dominating possession and they started to put some impressive phases together, culminating in a close-range effort from hooker Jason Rutledge in the 28th minute.
Veteran fly-half Tony Brown added the extras and the visitors were back in the game at 12-7 down.
Barnes blow
The Tahs suffered a huge blow six minutes before the break, losing centre Berrick Barnes with a back injury.
But with Barnes off the field, it was his centre partner Carter who stepped up for his second try of the night two minutes before the break, powering through the defence from close-range off a deft Daniel Halangahu inside pass.
Beale's simple conversion sent the home side into the break 19-7 in front.
The Highlanders have never come back from a half-time deficit of 12 points or more in their Super Rugby history and the constant rain in the second half certainly did not help their already flagging fortunes in this match.
It was an error-riddled second half and the Waratahs were guilty of some frustrating mistakes, but their defence was as strong as ever, repelling a Highlanders' outfit that never gave up.
Carter sealed his man-of-the-match award, and a bonus point for his side, with a 75th-minute try, before replacement Josh Holmes capped the win with a four-pointer on full time after running onto a perfectly-weighted Beale kick.
"We got stuck a little bit there after halftime but to come back and finish the way we did and get that bonus point was pretty important," Waratahs captain Phil Waugh said.
"We held the Highlanders out. They're a tough team to play and the guys really hung in there well."
Highlanders captain Jamie Mackintosh added: "We probably didn't capitalise, we had a lot of field position, but...turned over the ball at some pretty critical times, particularly before half-time.
"We should have scored more points before halftime and if you don't score points then you can't build pressure and credit to their defence in the second half."
