Halfback Folau Fakatava has scored the only try, as his Highlanders scrambled to a desperate 7-6 win over Western Force to snap a five-game losing streak and improve their Super Rugby Pacific playoff chances at Dunedin.
The win - their third of the season - has propelled them past NSW Waratahs, defending champions Crusaders and Moana Pasifika into the competition's top eight, as the battle for the post-season begins in earnest.
Trailling 3-0 at halftime, the southerners had plenty of chances to score more points, but the encounter was riddled with errors from both sides, as befitting their standing.
Fakatava finally gave his side the edge, after several phases on the Force goal-line, but both goal-kickers missed handy penalties that could have changed the course of the contest.
The home side enjoyed the best start, with captain Billy Harmon venturing deep into the Force 22, but his team could not retain possession to deliver on their early promise.
The Force went on the attack and looked dangerous, when first-five Ben Donaldson poked his head through a gap and offloaded to halfback Nik White, but the chance was extinguished.
The Highlanders suffered a blow, when they lost former Wales first-five Rhys Patchell to a rib injury, thrusting rookie Cameron Millar into the fire.
Fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens put a kick towards the corner and the chasers bundled Donaldson into touch, but again they were unable to capitalise.
Donaldson put a kick into the Highlanders goal area, but second-five Jake Te Hiwi was there to run it dead.
Finally, Donaldson opened the scoring with a penalty, but Highlanders winger Timoci Tavatavanawai seemed to have responded with a try, chipping and gathering down the right touchline, but ruled to have put his foot on the chalk.
The home side stole the lineout throw, but as the halftime siren sounded, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens was unable to gather an angled kick from winger Connor Garden-Bachop with the tryline beckoning.
From the restart, Harmon won a long lineout throw and sent Garden-Bachop scorching towards the line, but the Force were able to scramble back in cover.
Another probing kick from Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens put Force fullback Kurtley Beale under pressure and the Highlanders forwards surged forward from an attacking lineout, before Fakatava burrowed over to score.
From a lineout free-kick inside the Highlanders half, the Force set up another assault and Donaldson had another shot at goal, but hooked it wide. Moments later, he had a chance to atone and duly obliged.
Force winger Chase Tiatia was bundled into touch short of the cornerflag, but the Highlanders failed to clear past their 22.
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Argentine international Martin Bogado engineered a breakout from their own 22, and their teammates arrived to win a maul turnover deep inside Force territory, but a scrum free-kick saw that opportunity wasted.
Entering the final 10 minutes, the Highlanders clung to a one-point margin, but their scrum was dismantled outside the Force 22. Their discipline was tested, as the Force strung together phases in the redzone, but the ball was spilt in a tackle to let them off the hook.
As time ticked down, the home side launched another raid and as minutes became seconds, Millar soaked up a few with a penalty attempt that grazed the outside of the upright.
Luckily, they still had the ball, when the final siren sounded and Tavatavanawai was able to find touch to spark victory celebrations.
"We stacked some good moments," assessed Harmon. "We couldn't quite get on the board in that first half, but we were playing some awesome footy.
"We knew, if we just kept building that pressure, the result was going to come. That's a win, we're happy with that and we'll keep moving forward."
The Highlanders will have their next chance to build on that result and consolidate their playoff position, when they visit Moana Pasifika at Nuku'alofa next Saturday.
Highlanders 7 (Fakatava try; Millar conversion) Western Force 6 (Donaldson 2 penalties)
