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Super Rugby Aotearoa: Highlanders player ratings vs Hurricanes
On a Sunday afternoon showdown at Sky Stadium in Wellington, the Highlanders and Hurricanes had the chance to drag themselves back to a 50% record in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
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The Hurricanes had lost two at a row at home and the Highlanders last victory at the Caketin was in their Super Rugby final victory in 2015.
The Hurricanes made the most of their dominance 10 minutes either side of halftime and came away with the victory 17-11.
Here’re the Highlanders player ratings.
1. Ayden Johnstone – 6
Solid in the set piece but can give up any dreams to play on the wing after van Wyk glided past him halfway through the first half. Off at 48
2. Ash Dixon – 7.5
Workaholic and led from the front, 12 tackles and continued his sterling line out throwing. A career in darts beckons? Off at 63.
3. Siate Tokolahi – 6.5
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Scrummed well and was strong at the breakdown. Off at 63.
4. Pari Pari Parkinson – 7
Really getting his carrying game back and always an excellent source of line out pill. Off at 67
5. Jack Whetton – 7
Good play from Whetton who got a starting chance after Josh Dickson’s injury. 10 tackles, stopped Ardie Savea 5 metres out from his line in the 16th minute then a big hit led to a Dillon Hunt turnover. Off at 48.
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6. Shannon Frizell – 5.5
Solid but not the spectacular, dynamic performance that the southern men needed. Shrugged off a big hit from Aumua with a strong run at 33 minutes. Three carries and 5 tackles not a great day at the office.
7. Dillon Hunt – 6.5
Lively from the openside. Good save to force a 22 after an attacking grubber at 20 minutes. Had a great battle with Kirifi and snaffled some turnovers. Shoulder and eye injuries saw him off at 46 minutes.
8. Marino Mikaele-Tu’u – 6
As with Frizell the Highlanders needed some yards and go-forward from their quality loosies but the Hurricanes were on to them.
9. Aaron Smith – 7
Good showdown with TJ Perenara and tit for tat tries. Put his body on the line with a tackle count in double figures.
10. Mitch Hunt – 7
The game really came to Hunt and he didn’t miss his opportunities. Ripped a hole in defence
for the Aaron Smith disallowed try early on. Top running metres in the match and had Aumua smash him a couple of times but the tough little nut got up and carried on. A couple of black marks either side of halftime pulled his rating back for me. The missed touch off a penalty just before half-time, and then failing to exit off the second half kickoff.
11. Jona Nareki – 6
Quiet early on but finally got some space in the last quarter.
12. Patelesio Tomkinson – 7.5
Did some real grunt work with top tackles for the match with 15. Gutsy, physical effort.
13. Rob Thompson – 5
Got his first carry at 76 minutes. Bizarrely quiet, just couldn’t get involved.
14. Scott Gregory – 5.5
Seems to be learning about positional play both at fullback and wing. Loads of potential and seems to be more of a mid-fielder but hard to get time there at the Highlanders.
15. Michael Collins – 5.5
Again couldn’t get involved in the match. Three carries for 7 metres eerily quiet for a fullback.
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16. Liam Coltman – 5
On at 63, sadly the smooth running line out lurched to a halt after Coltman entered the fray.
17. Daniel Lienert-Brown – 6.5
On at 48. Two scrum penalties against ex-Highlander Lomax would have been satisfying.
18. Jeff Thwaites – N/A
On 63
19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit – 6
On at 48. Gave his team some impetus at the line out and a great first play holding Ben Lam up and creating a maul turnover.
20. Jesse Parete – N/A
On at 67
21. Kayne Hammington – N/A
On at 71
22. Bryn Gatland – N/A
On at 71
23. Teariki Ben-Nicolas – 5.5
On at 48 and like his big bopper loose forward mates couldn’t make a dent in the Hurricanes defence.
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments