By Greg Stutchbury
WELLINGTON, July 4 (Reuters) - Elliot Dixon's try just before halftime was the momentum change the Otago Highlanders needed to win their first Super Rugby title after being run off their feet, coach Jamie Joseph said.
Dixon's try in the final minute before halftime gave the Highlanders a 13-5 lead at the break that they held on to before beating the Wellington Hurricanes 21-14 to clinch the title at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday.
"In the first half, the game could have exploded... I was getting tired watching the first 40 (minutes) and thought it was ready to open up," Joseph told reporters.
"I think we got a couple of opportunities that we took and Elliot Dixon's try just before halftime was a really good momentum swing for us.
"We were able to go into the tunnel with a lot of confidence because for the last two or three minutes we were off our feet."
Dixon's try was not only timely but also controversial, with Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd convinced he had not scored.
The blindside flanker broke through four defenders but appeared unsure if he had grounded the ball as he reached out in the tackle. Television match official (TMO) Ben Skeen advised referee Jaco Peyper to award the try, converted by Lima Sopoaga.
"At the end of the day, it was pretty critical," Boyd said.
"I thought he had lost the ball but we do tend to look at things through our own eyes.
"At the end of the day, the TMO and the ref were confident he scored so it's in the book, they scored."
Joseph, a former Otago and All Blacks loose forward who also coached the Wellington provincial team before taking the Highlanders job in 2011, added that he did not say too much to his team at the break.
"There wasn't a lot said. Guys were too busy getting their breath back," Joseph said with a grin after a high tempo, helter-skelter first half.
Joseph said his side had also been well primed for the final after playing two tough knockout games against Waikato Chiefs and then the NSW Waratahs, which had aided their preparation.
"We thought it might be a point of difference," Joseph said.
"I thought the preparation for those two matches would put us in really good stead for the final.
"There was a time there where we thought it was slipping away from us but a credit to the heart and soul of our team.
"They really stood up (and) we're over the moon with the result." (Editing by Ken Ferris)