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Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava celebrates his a try against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium.
At Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane: Highlanders 27 (Thomas Umaga-Jensen try 32min, Scott Gregory try 60min, Folau Fakatava try 66min; Mitch Hunt con, 2 pens, Marty Banks 2 cons). Reds 19 (Jock Campbell try 17min, Josh Flook try 28min, Ryan Smith try 54min; Lawson Creighton 2 cons). HT: 10-12 Yellow cards: Josh Dickson 12min, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u 16min
The Highlanders have taken a significant step towards the top eight with a gritty win against the Reds, despite losing two players to the sin bin in the first half.
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Flanker Billy Harmon was a standout for the Highlanders in Brisbane.
Halfback Folau Fakatava provided the inspiration with an exceptional 25-minute spell off the bench, setting up one try and scoring another as he tormented the Reds’ defence in the final stages.
The Highlanders were in a deep hole of their own making early on as Josh Dickson and Marino Mikaele-Tu’u were shown yellow cards, but they were lifted by a big effort by Billy Harmon, and fought back from a 12-0 deficit.
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Lock Dickson was shown a yellow card after 12 minutes for high contact on Reds prop Feao Fotuaika, despite just coming back from a two-game ban for a similar tackle.
Ironically, Dickson's ban had been reduced by a week after taking World Rugby's tackle technique course, but he still failed to adequately wrap his left arm in the incident, and referee Nic Berry saw enough contact with Fotuaika's head to produce a yellow card.
Mikaele-Tu'u followed him to the naughty chair four minutes later for lifting Reds No 10 Lawson Creighton and tipping him towards the ground, although the No 8 pulled out of the tackle midway through and the incident was at the milder end of the scale.
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Reds midfielder Josh Flook climbs above Mitch Hunt to grab a high kick and score his side's second try.
The loss of the pair effectively cost the Highlanders 12 points as the Reds scored tries to Jock Campbell and Josh Flook, and Mitch Hunt missed two relatively straightforward penalty shots at goal to make matters harder.
Despite those self-inflicted wounds, there were flashes of promise in the backline. Connor Garden-Bachop, playing his best game of the season at fullback, looked elusive with ball in hand, and Thomas Umaga-Jensen showed power, footwork and acceleration to beat five defenders on the way to the try line.
But, the game really turned when the Highlanders injected Marty Banks and Fakatava for the last 25 minutes, replacing Mitch Hunt and Aaron Smith.
Fakatava had an immediate impact, organising the attack and presenting a running threat close to the ruck. Regardless of how the Highlanders’ season pan outs, it was a performance that will please the All Blacks selectors.
Suddenly, the speed of the ball was quicker for the Highlanders, with Fakatava putting the defence in two minds. The confidence missing from the Highlanders' attack for most of the season began to return, while replacement hooker Rhys Marshall also showed his huge value with another sharp and tidy display.
Outside back Josh Timu also made a surprise return from the bench, and made the most of his second-half minutes with some good defensive reads.
Big moment
Folau Fakatava's close-range try after 66 minutes gave the Highlanders an eight-point buffer at 27-19, and they got the job done from that position.
Match rating: 7.5/10
It wasn't a classic, but the Highlanders’ grit over the past two weeks has been admirable, and they appear to be moving in the right direction at the right time of the year.
The big picture
The Highlanders move into the top eight and have taken control of their finals destiny. They host the Western Force in Dunedin next Friday, and will return home with a bit of wind in their sails.
MVP
Billy Harmon. Three games into his comeback from a long-term shoulder injury, the No 7 covered every blade of grass at Suncorp Stadium. His ball carrying was excellent, and he made a mountain of tackles.