Highlanders No 10 Cameron Millar does it again with late penalty to stun Crusaders

Friday, 13 February 2026

At Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin: Highlanders 25 (Caleb Tangitau try 14min, Angus Ta’avao try 43min, Jonah Lowe try 48min; Cameron Millar 2 con, 2 pen) Crusaders 23 (Noah Hotham try 20min, Will Jordan try 61min; Rivez Reihana con, 2 pen, Taha Kemara con, pen) HT: 8-10

The Crusaders have begun their title defence with a two-point loss to the Highlanders following an error-riddled performance

In front of a crowd of 15,170, Highlanders No 10 Cameron Millar was again the hero, nailing a late penalty similar to his heroics in the NPC for Otago last year,

There were just over two minutes left when Millar stepped up to slot the penalty from just over 40 metres on the angle, and the Highlanders survived late pressure from the Crusaders to secure the win.

The Crusaders were their own worst enemy as they repeatedly spilled ball and coughed up needless penalties, with Codie Taylor the offender for the Millar penalty with a clumsy piece of obstruction on Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens.

After a scrappy first half the game burst into life with two Highlanders’ tries in the first 10 minutes of the second spell.

First prop Angus Ta’avao burst onto a pass from Folau Fakatava to score on debut, then Jonah Lowe finished an outstanding try in the corner as the ball went through several pairs of Highlanders hands - albeit with a suspicion of a forward pass in Timoci Tavatanawai’s transfer.

The Crusaders responded by sending on the heavy artillery, injecting five players at once - including four All Blacks.

That lifted the intensity significantly and the Crusaders also simplified their game, while Will Jordan was all class with every touch.

Tavatavanawai was typically strong for the Highlanders, while Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Caleb Tangitau had some nice touches in the back three.

Leicester Fainga’anuku’s impact in the No 11 jersey was relatively muted, with Tangitau working hard to close down his space.

The Highlanders made a tactical switch before the game, moving starting props Ethan de Groot and Ta’avao to the bench to counteract All Blacks George Bower, Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell among the Crusaders’ reserves.

However, the opening 40 minutes still followed the expected script with the Crusaders on top at the scrum and lineout - where the loss of Fabian Holland to a season-ending shoulder injury caused some obvious issues and Bartlett was penalised twice in the first half.

But the Crusaders’ handling was uncharacteristically poor early with unforced errors by Christian Lio-Willie and Braydon Ennor, and they paid the price for the scrappy opening.

Tangitau was give a bit of space on the outside and he burnt fullback Chay Fihaki and No 10 Rivez Reihana with an outstanding finish.

After 221 kicks in three Six Nations games last weekend, there was predictably a surplus of box kicking in the contest - and both teams have work to do under the high ball.

However, the Crusaders bounced back through the tactic.

Millar spilled a Noah Hotham high kick - with lock Antonio Shalfoon a tad lucky not to be penalised for connecting with Millar in the air - and Hotham followed up to exploit space down the blindside and race in for the Crusaders’ first try of the season.

There were 38 kicks in the first half alone, but as it progressed the Crusaders began to establish an edge in possession and territory.

That paid off as Reihana nailed a penalty just before halftime to give them a 10-8 lead at the break.

However, the Highlanders were the more ambitious side in the second half as Jamie Joseph’s side provided the perfect example of his All Blacks coaching credentials.