Highlanders player ratings vs Crusaders | Super Rugby Pacific
The Highlanders came within just three points of their first win of the year in the unlikeliest of circumstances, but were denied by a determined Crusaders outfit in Christchurch on Friday.
Here’s how they rated:
1. Daniel Lienert-Brown – 7
Quality turnover steal at the breakdown early on, one of two he won during the match. Pinged shortly after half-time for an obstruction. Thumping tackle on Will Jordan early in the second half. Off in the 53rd minute. Back on in the 78th minute after Ethan de Groot as sent for an HIA. A more than suitable replacement for the four-test All Black.
2. Andrew Makalio – 7
Tricky lineout move earned him a try against his former team in his first start for his new team. Can thank his enormous frame for powering his way through some limp defence en route to that try. Was largely accurate with his lineout throws and showed good distribution skills in general play. Should really challenge for a starting role from here on out. Off in the 52nd minute.
3. Josh Hohneck – 4
Endured a terrible day at the set piece. Pinged for collapsing a scrum inside his own half, laying the groundwork for the Crusaders’ first try. Was then guilty of another scrum infringement near the half hour mark, and then clipped Will Jordan with a dubiously-called high tackle in the same sequence of play. Collapsed another scrum just before half-time, but wasn’t punished as David Havili missed a long-range shot at goal. Off in the 55th minute.
4. Bryn Evans – 6
A reliable lineout target, although he conceded a free kick for crossing the mark at the set piece. Was otherwise largely quiet. Off in the 60th minute.
5. Josh Dickson – 8
Pinched the ball from the Crusaders at a lineout inside the opening two minutes. Rock solid tackle on a Crusaders attacker defused a threatening attack as he dislodged the ball and forced a turnover on his own 22 near the end of the first half. Followed that up with another lineout steal a minute or two later. Cantered upfield after being put into acres of space by Folau Fakatava late in the match. The main lineout target whenever his side had the throw. A standout performance.
6. Shannon Frizell – 5
Wasn’t as destructive as we’ve come to expect from him in the first half, where arguably his biggest contribution was penalty for not releasing the ball at the breakdown. In saying that, he put a Crusaders defender on his backside as the half neared a close, but was inaccurate defensively, completing only six of his 13 tackle attempts, which is far below that what is acceptable. Produced a barnstorming run up the guts just as the Highlanders needed it in the final 10 minutes. That demonstrated why he is so useful for the Highlanders, but he needed more consistency across other facets of his game.
7. Sean Withy – 6
Came up with a powerful tackle in his first action as a Super Rugby player. A touch overzealous a wee while afterwards when he was penalised for being offside, handing the Crusaders three points. Led the charge for his side on defence, topping the tackle count with nine tackles from as many attempts. Not a bad effort in an unexpected debut. Off in the 61st minute.
8. Marino Mikaele-Tu’u – 7
Lovely pop pass to put Sam Gilbert into space early in the first half. Carried well, making the most metres in the match (76), and defended strongly. Overeager while defending one lineout maul and cost his side a penalty, and coughed the ball up after fielding a hospital pass from Rhys Marshall, but was otherwise impressive and should start again next week.
9. Aaron Smith (c) – 5
His quest to find some early season form continued without a ton of success. Box-kicked often, with varying results, and wasn’t his crisp self on the passing front. Outshone by Fakatava after he came off. Off in the 67th minute.
10. Mitch Hunt – 6
Some great things and some not so great things. Started off with an aimless kick while in a promising position, but redeemed himself by showing good awareness and footwork to put Scott Gregory away for his try. Mostly dependable under the high ball, made good decisions with ball in hand in the backfield and was brave on defence. However, he missed an important shot at goal from a reasonable range early in the second half, and then spurned a shot at goal late in the match from a handy position to instead kick for the touchline, only to boot it dead. Both of those instances cost his side a chance to equalise or take the lead.
11. Mosese Dawai – 6
Looked determined to get involved, but struggled to do so when he shanked a clearing kick into touch about five metres from where he booted it. Was a bit more troublesome for the opposition defence in the second half as he put frontline defenders under pressure with his carries and half line breaks. Still not the complete package, but showing signs of improvement from his horror debut two-and-a-half months ago.
12. Scott Gregory – 6
Well-taken try midway through the first half. Wasn’t his usual dependable self on defence in the lead-up to Leicester Fainga’anuku’s try as he was used as a speed bump by the All Blacks prospect. Conceded a vital penalty in the last few minutes that allowed the Crusaders to kick their way out of danger.
13. Fetuli Paea – 6
Got involved without ever really standing out from the crowd. Ended the match with two tackles from four attempts, and carried often, but to little effect.
14. Sam Gilbert – 7
Tore the opposition defence to shreds with a searing run up the middle of the park inside the opening quarter. Looked dangerous with most touches of the ball. Was probably the most threatening of anyone in his team. A poor kick into touch on the full in the last few minutes blotched an otherwise impressive showing in what was a continuation of his good early-season form.
15. Connor Garden-Bachop – 6
Had a very quiet first half. Began the second half with a charging run to try and pierce the opposition defence, which was followed by a shocker of a midfield bomb. Stunning floated ball to pick out Dawai on the left flank not long after that. Off in the 56th minute.
Reserves
16. Rhys Marshall – 3
On in the 52nd minute. First involvement in the match was to concede a penalty for collapsing a maul. First lineout throw was the picked off by Cullen Grace. Shovelled a needless pass towards Mikaele-Tu’u, who duly dropped it. Then dropped to the ground and conceded a penalty for collapsing a scrum. Not the impact the Highlanders wanted or needed.
17. Ethan de Groot – 6
On in the 53rd minute. Outmuscled Tamaiti Williams in one of his first scrum contests. Off in the 78th minute due to an HIA.
18. Saula Ma’u – 6
On in the 55th minute. Used his massive frame well. Did the job when called up at short notice.
19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit – 7
On in the 61st minute. Stole a lineout well inside his own half, and then showed his athletic prowess by supporting Dickson in his line break and turning a Crusaders defender inside out with ball in hand.
20. Gareth Evans – 6
On in the 61st minute. Superb work to snaffle a breakdown penalty inside the final 15 minutes.
21. Folau Fakatava – 8
On in the 67th minute. Injected the impetus that head coach Tony Brown would have wanted. A constant threat with his snipes around the fringes, making one half break and setting Josh Dickson up for one of his own. Did his absolute best to steal the win for his side, and could be rewarded with a start next week as a result.
22. Marty Banks – N/A
23. Denny Solomona
On in the 56th minute. Quality kick-chase from a Hunt bomb kick to win his side possession deep in enemy territory in his first act as a Super Rugby player. Looked right at home and wouldn’t be surprised to see him feature regularly over the next few weeks.
Comments on RugbyPass
No SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
3 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
3 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
5 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
2 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to comments