Jamie Joseph praises 'ultimate leader' in Highlanders environment

The 25-23 victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium was thanks to a late Cameron Millar penalty from just inside the Crusaders’ half, claiming a famous victory and one to kickstart the 2026 campaign.

One player that impressed was Highlanders captain Timoci Tavatavanawai, after missing the back end of the All Blacks season in 2025 through a broken arm.

Tavatavanawai made his 50th Super Rugby appearance on Friday evening, where he contributed four offloads and beat eight defenders throughout his 80-minute performance.

Joseph, who is still believed to be in the running for the vacant All Blacks head coaching role, spoke to media after Friday’s victory, where he explained Tavatavanawai’s influence on the Highlanders.

“Well, Jim (Tavatavanawai) in my mind, is the ultimate leader in terms of how he plays the game,” Joseph said after the narrow victory.

“He had a broken arm, he had a knee operation, he missed the preseason, and he’s not 100% fit yet. But he’s 100% our leader, and yeah we’re really proud of him.”

Joseph is also quick to pinpoint young loose-forward Lucas Casey, who started the opening game at No.8 after having a stellar season for Otago in the Bunnings NPC competition.

Casey burst onto the scene after an incredible try against Canterbury during the 2025 season, where he beat a number of defenders to score a crucial try in the Ranfurly Shield victory.

“I thought Lucas Casey contributed really well. He’s sort of levelled up from what he’s probably used to in a position he’s probably never played against last year’s champions.

“So, yeah, he didn’t get a lot of opportunities to show the skills he has on the edge, and that’s because it was a really tough, arm-wrestle kind of a game.

“So as competition starts loosening up, there’s more opportunities where Lucas can probably show up.”

In 2025, the Highlanders often found themselves leading in games, but were unable to convert those leads into victories on the table.

But to start 2026, they managed to find themselves on the opposite side of the ledger, clinching victory through a late Millar penalty goal.

Joseph admits he’s proud of his players, who found a way to come back in the round one fixture.

“Well, I think it’s great for the players, because look we’ve done a lot from that, and it’s not as easy to get right as you might think it is, it’s pressure, it’s fatigue.

“And you saw, there’s a lot of things going on, they’re part of the game. But guys were cramping up, and they found a way to win the game, so I’m really proud of the team.”