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Halangahu kicks Waratahs to dour win
AAP April 24, 2010, 8:41 pm
The unerring boot of NSW five-eighth Daniel Halangahu put a major dent in the Brumbies' Super Rugby finals hopes as the Waratahs ground out 19-12 win at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
In wet and slippery conditions, a Waratahs' regular season record crowd of 40,271 witnessed a dour struggle with both teams largely favouring a field position game based on kicking.
NSW scored 10 unanswered points after the break against a Brumbies side which failed to solve their season-long conundrum of converting possession into points.
The game produced just one try, when NSW winger Lachie Turner got ahead of his injured Brumbies counterpart Alfie Mafi and reeled in a chip kick from inside centre Berrick Barnes with one hand to cross in the 50th minute.
Halangahu nailed the conversion and all four of his penalty attempts, while opposing five-eighth Matt Giteau landed four of his six penalty shots.
Numerous breakdown penalties contributed to the stop-start feel of the game.
The result kept NSW in fifth spot and moved them six points clear of the Brumbies with three rounds remaining.
A bonus point ensured the Brumbies clung onto sixth spot on points differential ahead of the Hurricanes, but left them at least seven points adrift of fourth with only a mathematical chance of making the semi-finals.
Dubbed the Real Madrid of Australia's Super rugby teams before the season the Brumbies yet again failed to deliver.
Halangahu's reliable right boot steered NSW to an early 9-0 lead.
They appeared to be getting the better of some contentious first-half calls from referee Steve Walsh, who disallowed a try to Adam Ashley-Cooper for a double movement.
Brumbies captain and No.8 Stephen Hoiles sought a number of clarifications from the referee, who on one occasion dubiously penalised the No.8 for playing on and then pinged ten him metres for disputing the decision.
This gave Halangahu a far less testing kick. Giteau missed his first penalty, but nailed his next three to force a 9-9 halftime tie.
Halangahu potted another penalty just after the break to nudge NSW ahead again, before Turner finished off one of the few try scoring opportunities in the game.
It was his fifth try of the season and one of the few occasions either side moved the ball wide with success. Giteau landed a 62nd-minute penalty to reduce the deficit to seven points.
The desperate Brumbies rarely threatened to produce the season-saving tries they needed against an NSW team happy to go from set piece to set piece and wind the clock down.
NSW coach Chris Hickey ended up making five changes to the ream that started their last game against the Crusaders, with hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau (shoulder) and centre Rob Horne (buttock) ruled out earlier in the day and replaced by Adam Freier and Tom Carter respectively.
They joined prop Benn Robinson (forearm), who pulled out Friday and No.8 Wycliff Palu, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Waratahs last game.
The Brumbies lost Julian Huxley late in the first half to a hamstring injury, with Ashley-Cooper dropping back to fullback and Alfie Mafi coming off the bench and on to the wing.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...s-to-dour-win/
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