Highlanders player ratings vs Blues | Super Rugby Pacific
The Highlanders remain winless this season after falling to a 32-25 Super Rugby Pacific defeat at the hands of the Blues at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday.
Here’s how they rated:
1. Daniel Lienert-Brown – 6.5
Strong scrummaging to wheel it and put pressure on Hoskins Sotutu, leading to a penalty. Good turn of pace to gallop in for his fifth try in Highlanders colours. Certainly not the best prop on the park, but produced a credible showing. Off in the 64th minute.
2. Liam Coltman – 5
Sloppy handling inside his own 22 early in the match. Fortunate not to have conceded points. Shaky at the lineout. Showed good strength to stop a dangerous Blues rolling maul, but still a few yips in his core roles. Off in the 50th minute.
3. Jermaine Ainsley – 6
Missed tackle on Mark Telea, allowing him to break through. Quality clean out work in the lead-up to Sam Gilbert’s try. Part of a Highlanders front row that largely struggled at scrum time against their all-star counterparts. Off in the 64th minute.
4. Manaaki Selby-Rickit – 6
Stole a lineout to instigate a sequence of play that led to Sam Gilbert’s try. Aside from that important piece of play, provided little else for the southerners. Off in the 58th minute.
5. Josh Dickson – 6
Started off poorly but worked his way into things. Poor hands and a joint missed tackle with Ainsley on Telea led to a line break inside the opening quarter. Good muscle to force a turnover from the re-start. Led his side’s tackle count, with 10 to his name.
6. Shannon Frizell – 5.5
Was involved often with ball in hand, running for 30 metres from 12 carries. Was quite a subdued performance compared to previous weeks, though.
7. James Lentjes – 6
A classic performance from the hearty vice-captain. Threw himself into everything without actually playing a starring role. Should have scored with five minutes to play, but the pass that was thrown to him by Fetuli Paea was well forward.
8. Gareth Evans – 6
Early offside penalty gifted the Blues an easy three points. Top speed off the back of the scrum to put the Blues on the back foot and catch them out for Lienert-Brown’s try. Most running metres of any Highlanders forward and worked hard on defence. Off in the 65th minute.
9. Aaron Smith (c) – 7.5
Wasn’t provided the quality service of ball that he needed from the forwards to play with the kind of pace that he flourishes in during the first half. That changed in the second half, which began when he harassed Sotutu at the back of a scrum to win his side a penalty. Then sparked a super-charged attack with some sniping runs off quick ball leading up to Lienert-Brown’s try. Should have had a try assist were it not for Mosese Dawai’s knock on. Off in the 68th minute.
10. Mitch Hunt – 7
Showed his defensive frailties by slipping off a few tackles, but was equally as slippery as a broken field runner. Nice ball to Gilbert for his try. Same again for Lienert-Brown’s try. Grew into the game as it wore on.
11. Mosese Dawai – 6
Made one good run early after being put into a bit of space. Was clobbered by Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Kurt Eklund in a thumping tackle not long afterwards. Should have bagged himself a try, but denied by an earlier spillage. Off in the 72nd minute.
12. Scott Gregory – 7
Sucked in defensively, resulting in overlap that led to Caleb Clarke’s try. Good half-break and flick pass to send Fetuli Paea through a gap. Strong defence to hold Sotutu up over the tryline. When he did make a good defensive read, he was superb with his tackle efficiency, keeping numerous Blues players at bay.
13. Fetuli Paea – 6
Busy defensively and applied himself with a strong sense of determination. Wasn’t enough to provide his side with much impact, though. Could have sent Lentjes through for an easy try with five minutes to play, but threw a forward pass. That may have cost his side the game.
14. Ngatungane Punivai – 4
Caught out by Beauden Barrett after jamming in from a Blues scrum on his own tryline. Wasn’t the only time he left his wing to make a tackle after Gregory mishap. Off in the 43rd minute.
15. Sam Gilbert – 7.5
Lovely finish to score his first try not long after the break, and was on hand to bag his second later in the half on the back of some great ball-playing work by his teammates. His finishing quality leaves him as his side’s top try-scorer this season.
Reserves
16. Andrew Makalio – 6.5
On in the 50th minute. Strong carrying, solid on defence and effective at the set piece. A challenger for a starting role moving forward.
17. Ayden Johnstone – 6
On in the 64th minute. Acquitted himself well in his first match for the Highlanders in a long time.
18. Josh Hohneck – 6
On in the 64th minute. Carted himself around the park and scrummaged as expected.
19. Fabian Holland – 6
On in the 58th minute. The first Dutch player to grace Super Rugby Pacific. Expect to see more of the 19-year-old in the coming weeks and years.
20. Hugh Renton – 5.5
On in the 65th minute. Not overly effective when injected into the match.
21. Folau Fakatava – 6.5
On in the 68th minute. Brought plenty of impetus to the match upon his induction to the match, and put Gilbert away for his second try of the match. Exactly what the Highlanders would have wanted from the youngster.
22. Vilimoni Koroi – N/A
On in the 72nd minute. Got one touch in back play and put boot to ball.
23. Freedom Vahaakolo – 5.5
On in the 43rd minute. Great burst up the middle of the park to get his side back into the contest in the phase before Lienert-Brown’s try. Poor decision-making to take Caleb Clarke on by the sideline in the dying stages of the match, though.
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments