Super Rugby Aotearoa: Highlanders player ratings vs Crusaders
The Highlanders were back at home for their Saturday night clash with the undefeated Crusaders, having been tipped up by the Blues in Auckland last weekend.
While it was a cool night in Dunedin, a little bit of dew on the field was all the two sides had to cope with thanks to Forsyth Barr’s roof – and both teams took the opportunity to spin the ball wide and play with plenty of depth.
Although the Highlanders have been on a run of good form against their northern neighbours for the last few years, the first Super Rugby Aotearoa clash between the two teams fell the way of the visitors, who romped to a 40-20 victory after scoring two tries in the final five minutes to blow out the score.
Who were the best performers for the defeated Highlanders?
1. Daniel Lienert-Brown – 4
Didn’t quite excel in the open like we’ve sometimes seen and was monstered at scrum time by Michael Alaalatoa. Conceded the first penalty of the night for not rolling out of a tackle. Off in 40th minute and won’t have threatened Ayden Johnstone’s starting spot.
2. Liam Coltman – 6.5
One early yip with the lineouts but otherwise was accurate as necessary. Busy tackler but not as influencing in the breakdowns. Did manage an important turnover early in the second half after the Crusaders had amassed 15 phases on attack. Off in 47th minute.
3. Jeff Thwaites – 4
Didn’t cop the scrum penalties that Lienert-Brown did but was probably equally at fault – destroyed by Joe Moody. Like Lienert-Brown, didn’t offer much in the open and his performance of his core duties was left wanting. Off in 40th minute.
4. Pari Pari Parkinson – 5
Very hand in open play, showed deft hands at times, but didn’t offer too much on defence. Deserved to be yellow-carded after committing an egregious tackle off the ball early in the second half. Plenty of potential and has the measurements to be a great lock but clearly not yet the complete package.
"I’m not sure if I could play at Super Rugby level just yet"https://t.co/giXKuFWBzy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 4, 2020
5. Josh Dickson – N/A
Penalised for (pretty clearly) going off his feet at the breakdown which handed the Crusaders their first attacking opportunity inside the Highlanders’ 22 and, ultimately, their first 3 points of the game. Left the field on a stretcher 5 minutes later. Replaced in 17th minute.
6. Shannon Frizell – 8
Handy at kick-offs. Brilliantly powerful run, carrying five defenders with him to score the Highlanders’ first try. Stripped the Crusaders’ carriers on more than one occasion and was one of the busiest defenders on the park. Will have reminded the All Blacks selectors that they don’t necessarily have to blood any new talent in the 6 jersey.
7. Dillon Hunt – 7.5
Possibly his best performance on a rugby pitch since he made his All Blacks debut back in 2018. Disruptive at the breakdown and was more damaging on attack than we’re used to. Massive shift on defence, too, topping the tackle charts with 18 to his name.
8. Marino Mikaele Tu’u – 7
Didn’t quite light up the world as we’ve come to expect but a tidy shift nonetheless. Managed to hold on to Codie Taylor from an untidy Crusaders lineout which temporarily stopped the Crusaders’ momentum. Penalised for an illegal breakdown steal but was a little bit hard done by. Made up for that indiscretion with some excellent work to earn a breakdown penalty late in the game which kept the Highlanders in with a chance when the Crusaders were threatening. Off in 76th minute.
9. Aaron Smith – 9
The best performer of the night – on either team. Accurate flat passes right on the advantage line gave his side the momentum they needed to knock the defending Crusaders back. Brilliant break and then quick delivery to create the Highlanders’ second try of the night and his quick passing was the starting point for everything good the Highlanders did. Even made a clutch tackle on Taylor to stomp out a certain Crusaders try early in the second half. Off in 72nd minute.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCKBA-egv1V/
10. Mitch Hunt – 7
Some good footwork and reliable goal-kicking kept the Highlanders in the contest. Earned plenty of metres for the Highlanders when he challenged the line. Put up one too many uncontestable high balls and was guilty of handing possession back to the Crusaders.
11. Jona Nareki – 5
Added attacking impetus early on to get the Highlanders over the gain line and into an attacking position in Crusaders territory. Missed twice as many tackles as he made and looked uncertain about his positioning at times but clocked up the most metres on attack of any of the Highlanders. Docked a point for not giving the final pass when the Highlanders had an easy scoring opportunity. Game-defining moment.
12. Sio Tompkinson – 7
Big effort on defence, making 10 tackles and missing just two, but couldn’t find any gaps in the Crusaders line. Good work over the ball to get an early turnover – but then his centre partner threw a clanger of a pass.
13. Rob Thompson – 6.5
Showed some good acceleration on attack and almost made a couple of half breaks. Had to make many a tackle in the crowded midfield and was rarely found wanting. Tracked across the width of the field and somehow almost managed to prevent the first Will Jordan try but couldn’t quite get enough of the Crusaders wing.
14. Ngane Punivai – 5
One well-taken try in the 25th minute but had little time to really make a mark on the game and was taken off in 35th minute for a HIA but never returned.
15. Michael Collins – 5.5
Had little impact on the game as a whole – which is probably a step up from what the Highlanders have had to deal with in the season to date. Wasn’t peppered with high balls but was safe when called upon an threw the last pass for Punivai’s try.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCMn1E_AKAD/
Reserves:
16. Ash Dixon – 6
On in 47th minute. Full of vigour and typically accurate.
17. Ayden Johnstone – 5
On in 40th minute. Faired slightly better than the starting Highlanders props – slightly. Busy on defence.
18. Siate Tokolahi – 5
On in 40th minute. Also clocked up his fair share of tackles but offered nothing on attack.
19. Jack Whetton – 6
On in 17th minute. Took over the lineout calling from Josh Dickson. Busy in the breakdowns. Swam around the maul to stop a dangerous Crusaders attack in the final quarter.
20. Teariki Ben-Nicholas – N/A
21. Kayne Hammington – N/A
22. Bryn Gatland – N/A
23. Vilimoni Koroi – 5
On in 35th minute. Like the man he substituted, didn’t have too much work to do on the right wing. Probably needed to go looking for work more.
Comments on RugbyPass
Good 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.
16 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.
7 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.
16 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?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
16 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
16 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to comments