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Highlanders welcome back Aaron Smith for Chiefs clash
All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith is set to make his Super Rugby Pacific season debut on Friday as the Highlanders look to get their campaign back on track against the Chiefs.
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After starting their season with emphatic losses against last year’s finalists the Blues and Crusaders, the Highlanders have made 11 changes to their starting XV for round three.
Among the changes, champion scrum-half Aaron Smith has been named to start in the No. 9 jersey after missing the opening two rounds of the season.
Fellow New Zealand internationals Ethan de Groot and Shannon Frizell have also been named in the starting side to take on the ladder-leading Chiefs in Hamilton.
The Highlanders had made nine changes to their starting side to take on the Crusaders in Super Round, and have been forced to make plenty more ahead of their next clash.
An injury crisis continues to hamper the squad, with Jonah Lowe and Sam Gilbert joining the already extensive list after last weekend’s match in Melbourne.
Only four players have retained their spots in the starting XV, including prop Jermaine Ainsley and Pari-Pari Parkinson.
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Flanker James Lentjes will captain the side at FMG Stadium as Billy Harmon observes his All Blacks break.
As for the backline, flyhalf Mitch Hunt will partner Aaron Smith in the halves after returning to the starting XV. Hunt had been relegated to the bench for the Highlanders’ Super Round clash.
Following their standout displays against the Crusaders, midfielders Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Josh Timu are the only backs to have held their spots in the side.
Former England international Freddie Burns will move from flyhalf to fullback, having been named to start in the No. 15 jumper.
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After losing to the Crusaders 52-15 on Saturday, captain Billy Harmon told reporters that the team wouldn’t be getting “too disheartened” about the result.
“It’s only round two we’re not going to get too disheartened,” Harmon said.
“We just still want to keep growing, keep (getting) better. The funny thing is I felt like we did get better in our attack and our D.
“Obviously with that scoreline we weren’t quite accurate and a team like the Crusaders, they can pounce on any opportunity and turn that into points.”
The highly anticipated New Zealand blockbuster will kick-off round three at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium at 7:05pm NZT on Friday.
Highlanders team to take on the Chiefs
- Ethan de Groot
- Rhys Marshall
- Jermaine Ainsley
- Pari-Pari Parkinson
- Josh Dickson
- Shannon Frizell
- James Lentjes (c)
- Hugh Renton
- Aaron Smith
- Mitch Hunt
- Mosese Dawai
- Thomas Umaga-Jensen
- Josh Timu
- Martin Bogado
- Freddie Burns
Replacements:
- Leni Apisai
- Ayden Johnstone
- Saula Mau
- Fabian Holland
- Sean Withy
- Kemara Hauiti-Parapara
- Fetuli Paea
- Connor Garden-Bachop
Not available due to injury: Marty Banks (groin), Sam Gilbert (shoulder), Scott Gregory (knee), Vili Koroi (knee), Jonah Lowe (concussion), Marino Mikaele-Tu’u (ribs), Jona Nareki (foot), Jeff Thwaites (back), Will Tucker (groin)
– Press release/Highlanders
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments