Centre Sio Tompkinson scored the match-winning try in the 82nd minute as the Highlanders rallied from 24-0 down after 21 minutes to beat the Chiefs 33-31 in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Flyhalf Mitch Hunt’s conversion, the final act of Sunday’s match, marked the first time the Dunedin-based Highlanders had led.

They were down 24-7 at halftime and 31-7 early in the second half but rallied doggedly to score four second-half tries, including two in the last five minutes, to grab an unlikely victory.

“Once we had the ball and put some phases together we were good,” Highlanders captain Ash Dixon said. “But I think in that first half we were well off the pace and we couldn’t contain it.”

“We gave away a lot of silly penalties and our discipline was poor. But once we got down the right end of the field and played a bit of ball things happened.”

After a thrilling 80 minutes the match came down to the final play. The Highlanders, trailing 31-26, won a penalty after the full-time siren and kicked to touch to earn a lineout five metres from the Chiefs’ goal line.

They won the ball and attempted to drive through the Chiefs lineout defence before scrumhalf Aaron Smith passed on the open side to Tompkinson who cut through to score.

In doing so, the Highlanders prevented the Chiefs from claiming their first win of the Super Rugby Aotearoa season. They have bow lost their first five matches in the New Zealand competition and their last in the full Super Rugby tournament before it was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chiefs and British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland was made aware before the match that the Chiefs only twice before in their history have lost six games in a row and have never lost five in a row at home.

Gatland responded: “I’ve been in rugby a long time so it’s not the first time I’ve had my back against the wall a little bit.”