Fekitoa magic earns late Highlanders win

May 13, 2017 - 10:38 PM A barnstorming Malakai Fekitoa try five minutes before fulltime has given the Highlanders a 17-10 Super Rugby win over the Bulls at a mud-spattered Loftus Versfeld.

With both sides down to 14 men after Waisake Naholo and RG Snyman's red cards, the 23-cap All Black darted through a gap in the midfield and evaded two defenders to cross under the posts.

Fekitoa's effort hands the Highlanders their seventh straight Super Rugby win, a franchise record, and keeps them in the finals hunt.

"Handling was difficult, the ball was like a bar of soap," Highlanders skipper Ash Dixon told South African media.

"But we believe in each other and that's what keeps the victories coming."

In conditions that suited the Dunedin-based side's kick-heavy approach, fullback Matt Faddes scored the opening try after collecting a Richard Buckman chip.

Yet the stand-in No.15, playing in place of Ben Smith, went from hero to villain soon after the break with an error that gave Bulls counterpart Warrick Gelant a straightforward five-pointer.

Naholo's red card for a mistimed shoulder charge soon followed, handing the Bulls the upper hand, before Snyman's late clean-out and subsequent dismissal.

Fekitoa, his white jersey caked with brown mud, then popped up to break the game open and secure the points for his side.

Test winger Naholo, meanwhile, will face a Super Rugby review committee on Monday, charged with the dangerous tackling of an opponent.

Source: AAP