Well I watched most of the game, in between flicking back to the cricket to see a long-awaited one day win over the mighty Aussies.

Good on ya Black Caps, let's hope this is a good confidence boost going into the test series. Anyway, back to the rugby....

The Sharks are a bloody tough lot and really are unlucky to be 0-2, they shoved the Highlanders forward pack around the park for most of the night and Chad Alcock played another blinder for them at half back but it wasn't enough in the end and the Highlanders took the match 27-20.

It was a total contrast to the game against the Red Queens last week where the Highlander forwards just steamrolled over their opposites, giving the backline all the time in the world to string together a handful of great tries.

This win was very hard fought and even though the classy Otago back line scored three nice tries, two to Alatini and Wilson by spinning it wide, and the third to Kelleher up the middle, the Sharks scored three of their own, the first to winger Rodger Smith, then another to hooker Chris Rossouw, and the last to reserve mid-fielder Clinton van Rensburg.

In the end it came down to the goal kicking, with some good goal kicking from Mr Brown (and later Goldie after Brown hurt his leg) and some bad from his opposite number Gaffie Du Toit being the difference. Of course if the Sharks had won then all the kiwi fans would have been cursing the refs who didn't ask for confirmation from the video ref Rodger Smith's try, he definitely didn't ground that one cleanly!

All in all an entertaining game, let's hope the Hurricanes can keep up the NZ winning tomorrow night against the Reds!