Squire, Frizell, Himeno, Mikaele-Tu'u, Harmon, Lentjes: Which loose forwards will start for the Highlanders?
With their 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign set for kick-off this Friday, the Highlanders are faced with a significant selection dilemma most squads would love to have.
Head coach Tony Brown will, in all likelihood, already know the players he will unleash against the Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday, but many fans and pundits across the country remain in the dark as to who will start in franchise’s back row.
The southerners boast one of the strongest loose forward contingents in the competition, with six of their eight back rowers all genuine candidates to start throughout this season.
In fact, if any of them were at any other franchise – bar the Blues – they would all be certainties to start, but at the Highlanders, they will all have to jostle with one another for starting places for the entirety of the campaign.
Retaining star players Shannon Frizell and Marino Mikaele-Tu’u from last season, Brown has bolstered his squad with the additions of Japanese World Cup hero Kazuki Himeno and 23-test All Blacks enforcer Liam Squire.
Those four players will compete for just two places in the Highlanders’ starting lineup at blindside flanker and No. 8, while a further two players – ex-captain James Lentjes and new recruit Billy Harmon – will do battle for the openside flanker role.
Which combination of players is the best for the Highlanders is anyone’s guess considering the breadth of talent all six of those players give the Dunedin side, as well as the depth provided by teammates Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Sione Misiloi.
The only certainty is that Himeno won’t make his debut for his new team this weekend after only leaving his two-week quarantine facility on Monday.
Squire and Lentjes, meanwhile, are both bouncing back from respective injuries, with minor niggles sidelining the former throughout the Highlanders’ pre-season clashes.
The latter, however, impressed in his first match back since suffering a horror ankle and leg injury against the Melbourne Rebels almost a year ago, scoring a brace of tries from off the bench against the Hurricanes in Alexandra last Friday.
Given their recent injury statuses, though, it may be that neither play a starting role this week, but, with so many options and variables at hand, who knows what Brown’s preferred combination will be.
That hasn’t stopped recently-retired Blues hooker James Parsons from predicting how the Highlanders will shape up in the back row in Dunedin on Friday.
The announcement of Brad Weber as Chiefs co-captain on Tuesday means Sam Cane will also retain his leadership duties with the franchise – despite his role with the All Blacks. ?? @realmikepulmanhttps://t.co/2npIVB7KFd
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Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, the former Blues centurion, who retired from all rugby last month, said Mikaele-Tu’u and Frizell stand as frontrunners to keep their No. 6 and No. 8 jerseys, adding that Harmon might have the inside running at No. 7.
“If you watched the game the other day [against the Hurricanes], I think Mikaele-Tu’u has to start,” Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“The way he played, the way he carried, I think he’s in the No. 8 jersey and I think Frizell’s at No. 6.
“Lentjes coming back from a pretty tough injury, he scored a couple of tries [last weekend], but I think Harmon has gone down there and he’s probably got the inside running at the moment, just because of that injury that Jimmy Lentjes is coming back from.
“But, he’s a tough customer and really well liked in that environment, so I think that’s going to be a hard-fought battle for the No. 7 jersey, but Harmon might get the nod going against his old team this weekend.
Parsons reserved special praise for Mikaele-Tu’u, labelling the potential shown by 23-year-old throughout pre-season as “frightening”.
As the new Super Rugby Aotearoa season looms large on the horizon, a former All Black has named a 'Hype XV' made up of players to take note of over the coming weeks. #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/nwGOic1rFx
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“Honestly, Marino the other day, his carries and his contacts and his collision work was exceptional,” Parsons said.
“He looks like he’s going another gear, which is quite frightening because what he delivered last year in Super Rugby, and then what he did for Hawke’s Bay, and now what he’s delivered in pre-season, he’s a serious beast.
“I know he was a [starting] rookie last year, but he’s just going under the radar, another loose forward just to chuck in the mix in that All Blacks selection.
“He’s been spoken about, but if he can back it up again, he’s a hell of a worker in that Highlanders environment.”
Whether or not Parsons and Brown see eye-to-eye selection-wise will become clear when the Highlanders name their team to play this weekend on Wednesday morning.
Listen to the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod below:
Comments on RugbyPass
Spot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
5 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
6 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
5 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
5 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
5 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
6 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
6 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
6 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
6 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
5 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
5 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
238 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to comments