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Highlanders v Force: Landers have foot in finals, All Blacks won’t be too impressed
The Highlanders have taken a big step towards finals football in Super Rugby Pacific after beating the Western Force 7-6 in a nail-biting contest at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday
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On ANZAC Day Weekend, the Highlanders fell behind early after a Western Force penalty scored by Ben Donaldson late in the first half. It was only 3-nil at the interval, but it was tense.
Folau Fakatava ended up scoring the only try of the night in the 46th minute, with the conversion from replacement Cam Miller proving the difference in the end.
Here are some takeaways from the Highlanders’ hard-fought win at home.
Match Summary 
0
Penalty Goals
2
1
Tries
0
1
Conversions
0
0
Drop Goals
0
104
Carries
96
3
Line Breaks
4
20
Turnovers Lost
20
11
Turnovers Won
3
The Highlanders have one foot in the finals
This was always going to be a massive match for both teams. Win, lose or draw, the ramifications that any result would have on their respective finals hopes were going to be huge.
Before the match, Sky Sport NZ said the winner would have a 45 per cent chance of making the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs, while the team who is beaten would be closer to 17 per cent.
It was a grind, and it wasn’t a pretty rugby match really, but the Highlanders have leapfrogged a few teams to move into the top eight. As for the Western Force, they’re last on the table.
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There’s still a long way to go between now and the playoffs, but the Highlanders can take plenty of positives and confidence out of the fact that their destiny is now in their hands.
If the Highlanders are good enough to win at least a couple more matches this season, they’ll likely play finals footy – depending on bonus points, of course.
The power of Timoci Tavatavanawai 💥#SuperRugbyPacific #HIGvFOR pic.twitter.com/CDDa7h3WFn
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 27, 2024
All Blacks would only pick one Highlanders player on current form
If the All Blacks were going to pick a form squad tomorrow, the Highlanders would be lucky to have even a single player picked for the national team.
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Of course, Ethan de Groot is widely considered to be a world-class prop. The Australian-born enforcer is a different beast in the black jersey, but the important word from the previous sentence is ‘form’.
Ethan de Groot is not a form prop in New Zealand. The Hurricanes’ Xavier Numia is the pick of the bunch at the moment and there are other loosehead props playing better for New Zealand sides in Super Rugby Pacific.
The only Highlanders player who would probably get picked in the squad – but wouldn’t be a certainty by any means – is Folau Fakatava. The All Black has been impressive in a struggling Highlanders team this season; a shining light during dark times.
But even that is a point of discussion. Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.
The only saving grace for Fakatava that may theoretically ensure he’s picked in a form squad is that the Blues’ Finlay Christie is injured. So it only makes sense that coach Scott Robertson would go with Folau Fakatava in that case.
Pressure pays off 😤#SuperRugbyPacific #HIGvFOR pic.twitter.com/5K7GntI3Pe
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 27, 2024
Highlanders looked much better with experienced No.10 leading the way
Like countless sports fans around the world, this writer made sure to tune into the opening round of the NFL Draft on Friday morning. Caleb Williams was picked first overall by the Chicago Bears at the event in Detroit, with a handful of other quarterbacks taken early.
It’s an exciting time for all of these franchises who now believe that they’ve picked up their quarterbacks of the future – but not all of these men will play right away, and that’s the way it should be sometimes in sport.
The Atlanta Falcons drafted former Washington QB Michael Penix Jr with the eighth overall pick despite signing veteran Kirk Cousins to a lucrative multi-year deal during the off-season. It was a moment that raised eyebrows at the Draft but it makes a bit of sense.
Whether it’s the NFL or of course rugby union, taking the pressure off younger players coming through is crucial. Not many athletes have that ability to dominate from the get-go at the professional level.
More often than not, younger ‘prodigies’ benefit from playing second fiddle to a more experienced veteran with lessons to share. In Super Rugby Pacific, that’s what the first 20-odd minutes of this match proved.
For the first time since round six, Wales international Rhys Patchell started in the No.10 jersey with Otago’s first five Cameron Millar named to come off the pine.
In the last few weeks, young playmakers Ajay Faleafaga and Miller have struggled. But with Patchell back in the mix, the Highlanders looked like a completely different team. Former All Black Justin Marshall was raving about the Welshman on commentary about five minutes in.
Patchell had attempted a cross-field kick and a grubber kick inside the first five minutes. There was something exciting about the Highlanders’ attack with Patchell taking the line on with skill, grace and poise.
Unfortunately, Patchell left the field in the 24th minute while holding his left pec muscle. The Highlanders lost some direction. But what this goes to show is that the next big thing might not be the solution to the Highlanders’ inconsistencies right now.
Ben Donaldson needs to feature in Australia’s Test series against Wales
Last year, it was a bit of a surprise to see Ben Donaldson picked ahead of Quade Cooper in the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup squad. Donaldson was still very new to the international game at that stage and hadn’t played a single minute during The Rugby Championship.
After coming off the bench against France in Paris just before the sports showpiece event, Donaldson was named to start at fullback in Australia’s tournament opener against Georgia at Stade de France. He was named Player of the Match after scoring a headline-grabbing double.
Donaldson started all four pool matches (two at fullback, two at flyhalf) during that tournament, but some still question whether new coach Joe Schmidt should pick the Western Force pivot in the squad to play Wales late this year.
But the Wallaby took a big step towards more international honours on Saturday. Now before you read further, it definitely wasn’t the greatest game of rugby, but Donaldson deserves a mention..
Most notably, Donaldson kicked for the corner twice during the first half, but both were from a fair way out. Most other first fives would be tempted to play conservatively and set up for a lineout 22 metres out from the try line.
But not Donaldson.
One attempt was battered back into the field by the Highlanders, but the other made it into touch. That’s the kind of aggression and skill that should put a smile on the face of coach Joe Schmidt. More generally, ‘Dono’ was composed and smart around the field.
Donaldson was mostly quite accurate at goal, ran for more than 20 metres, and put the Force in some point-scoring positions – the team just weren’t good enough to make the most of them.
Carter Gordon and Noah Lolesio are also worthy contenders to make Australia’s squad, and Tom Lynagh is a bolter, but Donaldson showed enough on Saturday to warrant a potential inclusion in the squad. Behind a good forward pack, the Aussie would be solid.
Comments on RugbyPass
Brumbies are looking good and if they keep their home form up a final is not beyond the realms of possibility. They showed against the Hurricanes exactly how clinical they can be as they absorbed pressure in that contest while also scoring points and applying their own pressure. Reds are well placed as well but need to find consistency. They are building a longer term project with a young side and plenty of quality players. Been surprising to see the strength of Aussie sides this year after the debacle of the world cup. Have NZ sides gotten weaker? Have Aussie sides gotten stronger? A bit of both I would say. Whatever the case its good to see some actual competition between NZ and Aus sides again and thats exactly what the fans wanted and is probably driving better viewership numbers. All of this can only be healthy for Aus and Super Rugby and I hope the Brumbies go all the way.
4 Go to commentsDead time reductions are important as is ball in play time increases. Premiership leads the way in terms of ball in play and Northern refereeing standards around the breakdown has sped up the game significantly. Super Rugby is trying new things but its not leading the way in terms of making gains in reducing dead time and ball in play time. Northern administrators are also not against speeding up the game, on the contrary they want a faster game and have been trying things and are embracing increasing the speed of rugby. Super Rugby isnt providing a blueprint for anything, its just part the agreed upon blueprint that administrators across the world are moving to.
19 Go to commentsSome interesting stats that just proved what my first impression of NZ’s drive to speed up Rugby Union would amount to - fine margins here and there to cut a few seconds off the game and nothing else. To do more there would have to be wholesale changes to the game like doing away with scrums, lineouts and bringing back the ELV’s to have free kicks instead of penalties. Very little chance of it happening but, in the end, Ruby Union would be a 15-man version of Rugby League. There are reasons why Rugby Union is globally more popular that Rugby League and what NZ are also not considering is the unintended consequences of what they want to achieve. This will end up turning Rugby Union into a low value product that will not be acceptable to the paying public. If people really wanted a sped-up version of rugby, then why is Rugby Union globally way more popular than Rugby League? Rugby lovers all over the world are also not stupid and have seen through what NZ are trying to achieve here, selfishly to bring back their glory days of dominance over every other nation and compete with Rugby League that is dominant in Australasia. NH countries just don’t have the cattle, or the fantastic weather needed to play like NZ SR franchises do so good luck to whoever has to try and convince the NH to accept going back to the days of NZ dominance and agreeing to wreck the game in the process. I have serious doubts on the validity of the TV stats presented by GP. All they did was expand the broadcasting base by putting it on free to air, not even any indication of arresting the continued drop in viewership. Match day attendance goes hand in hand with broadcast ratings so if there was an increase in the one you should expect to see it with the other. However, the drop in match day attendance is very evident to the casual highlights package viewer. The only club who looks to be getting solid attendance is the Drua. I am calling it now that NZ’s quest to speed up the game will fail and so will the vote on the 20-minute red card.
19 Go to commentsAll of these media pundits always miss the obvious whenever they analyse what is ailing or assisting the game. Rugby always has contentious points for debate when picking apart individual games and finding fault with itself. All this focus and scrutiny on “speeding up the game”, “high ball in play” etc is all contextual to the fan. As a tv viewer, if you’re absorbed into a game, regardless if your team is playing or not, more ball in play time and action are all byproducts of the contest. A good contest subliminally affects your memory in selectively remembering all the good aspects. A poor contest and your brain has switched off because its a blowout and the result is never in doubt or it’s a real chore to watch and remain engaged throughout. The URC, Top 14 and English premiership are all competitions that feel like there’s real jeopardy each week. The dominance of Super rugby by NZ teams was unhealthy from a sustainable interest perspective. You can’t fault those teams or the players, but the lack of competitions won by SA and Australian teams long term was always going to test the faith and patience of die-hard and casual fans from those regions. SANZAR took their eye off the fans and fans voted with their feet and subscriptions. They were so concerned about expanding their product they forgot the golden rule about broadcasting live sport. Viewers tune in more when there’s an atmosphere and a true contest. You need to fill stadiums to create one, host unions need to do more to service ticket buyers, and this year proves the other, there’s more interest in Super rugby this year only because more games are competitive with less foregone conclusions. All these micro statistics bandied about, only interest the bean counters and trainspotters.
19 Go to commentsThe match experience still sucks at SR games, irrespective of the game being a little quicker. Rugby has to compete with so much in the modern world, if you’re going to get people to leave their houses and pay to watch a game in winter then the experience has to be worthwhile.
19 Go to commentsIt’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
6 Go to commentsDon’t pay a blind bit of notice to Lukie… he likes the sound of his own voice and is always looking for something controversial to say. He has been banging on about Leinster's defensive system all season like he knows something Jacques Nienebar doesn’t. Which is the reason why he didn’t apply for the job obviously
15 Go to commentsWho got the benefits out of Schmidt, Lowe, Aki, and Gibson Park?
15 Go to commentsWhat’s new its a common occurrence, just the journos out there expecting a negative spin. The outcome will be beneficial to jordie and Leinster. The home grown lads hav got some experience to step up to and be more competitive, that or spend the 6 months keeping the bench warm.
15 Go to commentsI’m all for speeding up the game. But can we be certain that the slowness of the game contributed to fans walking out? I’m not so sure. Super rugby largely suffered from most fans only being able to, really, follow the games played in their own time zone. So at least a third of the fan base wasn’t engaged at any point in time. As a Saffer following SA teams in the URC - I now watch virtually every European game played on the weekend. In SR, I wouldn’t be bothered to follow the games being played on the other side of the world, at weird hours, if my team wasn’t playing. I now follow the whole tournament and not just the games in my time zone. Second, with New Zealand teams always winning. It’s like formula one. When one team dominates, people lose interest. After COVID, with SA leaving and Australia dipping in form, SR became an even greater one horse race. Thats why I think Japan’s league needs to get in the mix. The international flavor of those teams could make for a great spectacle. But surely if we believe that shaving seconds off lost time events in rugby is going to draw fans back, we should be shown some figures that supports this idea before we draw any major conclusions. Where are the stats that shows these changes have made that sort of impact? We’ve measured down to the average no. Of seconds per game. Where the measurement of the impact on the fanbase? Does a rugby “fan” who lost interest because of ball in play time suddenly have a revived interest because we’ve saved or brought back into play a matter of seconds or a few minutes each game? I doubt it. I don’t thinks it’s even a noticeable difference to be impactful. The 20 min red card idea. Agreed. Let’s give it a go. But I think it’s fairer that the player sent off is substituted and plays no further part in the game as a consequence.
19 Go to commentsThose are pretty good draws for the two top Aussie teams. I certainly wouldn't want my Chiefs to have a quarter final in Brisbane. None of the top teams will want the Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsHonestly, I am a bit lost here …. Ireland - RSA was (at least in my opinion) perhaps (from a purely technical / rugby-skills-show point of view) the pinnacle of the RWC2023 - almost flawless playing (putting aside the kicking of RSA which was the difference between the two teams), rugby at it’s very best …. if I were a Bok and after the game some Irish lads came around saying “see you in 5 weeks same place”, I definitely wouldn’t have thought of it as being in any way “arrogant”, rather a sort of jolly “if we both continue to play like this, no one could stop us” - besides, few of us fans would have, at that time, been surprised to see the same teams playing on 23 september and 28 october 2023 ….. well, we all know Ireland chose to hit a slump to keep the QF curse alive …..
137 Go to commentsThere’s value gleaned from having an All Black star running and training with your team. How many games he starts (or even where he plays in the backline) will be decided on a week by week basis based on the needs for that week. But the overall learning and growth for all concerned, I’d think, is massively beneficial. Especially for Irish players.
15 Go to commentsSon, whith just " raw athlete “ , you are able to beat “ better rugby players “ by 74 points…. May be England should recruit in athletics….
1 Go to commentsPffft. It’s not a one-way street bud and Irish teams don’t seem to have had an issue taking kiwi players previously.
15 Go to commentsParticularly great to have captain Scott Barrett back after going off last week for the Crusaders. Codie Taylor a real leader and mighty Tamaiti Williams join Fletcher Newell in the front row. Those 2 will make a big difference. Great bench with the likes of Tom Christie, Jamie Hannah etc who are playing well. Should be a great derby.
1 Go to commentsDoes a blitz defence not have a weekness against a well-placed grubber kick, perhaps angled cleverly. All the defence is up and the full-back can only cover so much ground. Thoughts?
29 Go to commentsWhile Iose is destructive in the Canes set-up, he is not big for an international 8 and could struggle against the top teams. With his speed, he could be developed into a seven but, as Ben points out, he doesn’t show a scavenging game with the Canes or make dominating tackles. Sotutu has shown a step up this year and attitude plus motivation seems to be the big areas of growth. Deserves another AB shot imo.
4 Go to commentsNaholo is my only question mark for this side. He wasn’t the only one who had a forgettable game against the Brumbies but he was passive, defensively poor and generally lacked energy. Needs to get a whole lot busier for me. I would have liked to see Sullivan on that wing with Higgins on the bench (if staying with a 6-2 as BeegMike points out on here!)
3 Go to commentsWell, I am sure that Eben said exactly what he meant to say, exactly how he meant to say it. Does he strike you as a man that doesn't know arrogance when he sees it. He should know it because he has shaken the arrogance out of many foes before.
137 Go to comments