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Super Rugby Aotearoa: Highlanders player ratings vs Crusaders
The beer and break dancing were on ice in Christchurch as the Crusaders knew they could snatch the first Super Rugby Aotearoa title with a week remaining. All they had to do was beat the Highlanders but Southern derbies are never that straight-forward.
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The Highlanders gave their all and with twenty minutes left they were in the driver’s seat. However the Crusaders slipped into their famous final quarter surge with three tries to finish at a canter 32-22.
Here are the Highlanders player ratings.
1. Ayden Johnstone – 6
Highlanders played smart with quick scrum ball and Johnstone held his side up well. Off at halftime.
2. Ash Dixon – 7.5
Continued the solid work at the line out from the simple, to two extravagant looping long throws to Nareki. Lovely turnover at 35 minutes to shut down Crusaders attack. Off at 57 minutes just as the wheels came off, proving he’s a good, calming counter as a leader to the pepped up Smith.
3. Siate Tokolahi – 6.5
Great tackle on Jordan in 32nd minute as he almost perforated the line. Off at 50.
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4. Pari Pari Parkinson – 7.5
Good bust and pop at 30 minutes to Aaron Smith. Is a real menace with ball in hand, it must be like trying to tackle a 120 kilo octopus when he’s on the run. Struggled in the second half with his sticks and off at 55 minutes.
5. Jack Whetton – 7
Great aggressive tackle after one minute that lit the fuse for the Frizell try. Couldn’t stay away from the ball in the first stanza with wonderful link work finding Aaron Smith. Off at halftime.
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Here's how the Crusaders rated in their Super Rugby Aotearoa title-clinching win over the Highlanders. ✍️ – @ArgyleSport https://t.co/BNjHQCdZhj
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 9, 2020
6. Shannon Frizell – 8
There’s no more physically intimidating player in Aotearoa than the Highlander’s flanker. Great try, and took genuine delight in smashing all the Crusaders power runners and defenders.
7. Dillon Hunt – 6.5
Came in to his own after half time as other’s legs tired.
8. Marino Mikaele-Tu’u – 6
Solid but missed a chance to shine in a big match. Off at 65.
9. Aaron Smith – 7
Is the passionate, driving force of the Highlanders no doubt and a stand-out player. Sometimes as a leader and decision maker, you need a calmness and there were three or four times during the game that Smith’s decisions or execution let his team down. A kick into touch on the full off a quick tap penalty, a chip kick on attack when Dillon Hunt was on his shoulder, a kick out on the full at 60 minutes from just outside his 22 were moments where a cool head may have reaped more dividends.
10. Josh Ioane – 7.5
Is a nifty threat with ball in hand and a sure tackler on defence. Set up the Collin’s try with some balletic moves and the stop-step at 65 minutes were breath-taking.
11. Jona Nareki – 7
Got caught out in defence for the Mo’unga try. Amazing offload to Whetton in 18th minute. Swooped in for the intercept try at the 24th minute. A very unorthodox player so you have to take the rough with the smooth. Off at 55 minutes.
12. Patelesio Tomkinson – 7.5
Ran a delicious dummy run for Frizell’s try. Up like an exocet in defence, no more than his mash of Goodhue in the 50th. Got the yellow card for the hit on Jager which drove a nail into the southerner’s coffin but he had an outstanding game.
13. Michael Collins – 6.5
Flew under the radar until 53 minutes and finished well for his try in the 55th.
14. Josh McKay – 7
Good run that led to Frizell try. Determined tracking back to drag down Ennor just before halftime. Then again in the 46th minute put an abrupt halt to Crusaders celebration with a steal on Hall.
15. Mitch Hunt – 6.5
Lovely kick along the touchline at 34 minutes for a 50 metre gain, a good link in set up to Collins try.
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16. Liam Coltman – 5.5
On at 57 minutes, Coltman’s a good player but the Highlanders seemed to miss Dixon.
17. Daniel Lienert-Brown – 6
On at halftime and played well.
18. Jeff Thwaites – 6
On at 50. Great turnover at 52 and some skilful play.
19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit – 6
On at halftime. Good first up tackles but just lost his bearings in the line for the 2nd Bridge try.
20. Teariki Ben-Nicolas – N/A
On at 65.
21. Folau Fakatava – N/A
22. Ngatungane Punivai – 5.5
On at 55 and some good defence.
23. Jesse Parete – 5
On at 55 and his hands let him down.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a dagg in more ways than one
5 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
5 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to comments