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The left-field halves combo the Highlanders could use against Rebels

By Luke Petherick
The master and his apprentice - Folau Fakatava and Aaron Smith in Highlanders colours. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images).

A Super Rugby Pacific star has put forward an outlandish proposition to the Highlanders as they face a shortage of first-five options this week.

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The Dunedin-based franchise are without frontline first-fives Sam Gilbert and Mitch Hunt for this Sunday’s must-win Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Rebels in Melbourne.

Gilbert, in just his second Super Rugby match at No 10, was red-carded for dumping Waratahs star Michael Hooper on his head in his side’s 32-20 loss at Forsyth Barr Stadium last weekend.

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He has subsequently been handed a five-week ban by the SANZAAR judicial committee, bringing an end to his campaign.

Hunt, who has been used predominately at first-five this season, is also unlikely to feature due to concussion, leaving the Highlanders short-changed on No 10 candidates.

However, Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall has offered a left-field solution to the issue as Highlanders boss Tony Brown surveys his options for this week’s match.

Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Hall threw out the idea of using two halfbacks, captain Aaron Smith and promising youngster Folau Fakatava, as a possible halves combination for the Highlanders this weekend.

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“It’s a pretty good idea having old Aaron Smith and Folau Fakatava as a 9 and 10 combo,” Hall said of the idea, which was initially floated by host Ross Karl.

“We’ve seen it [TJ Perenara has played 10 for the Hurricanes and All Blacks] and I think nobody would have thought Gilbert was going to be able to play 10, with Hunty [Mitch Hunt] being there.

“Would not be surprised if Tony Brown chucked out something, the two 9s playing 9 and 10.”

Although he believes there is merit to the idea, Hall still thinks the Highlanders will start veteran playmaker Marty Banks, who has returned for a third stint in Super Rugby and was Gilbert’s replacement against the Waratahs three days ago.

“I think they will go with Marty Banks,” Hall told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

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“I think they’ll start with Marty and then, if you bring Vilimoni Koroi onto the bench to be able to cover that role and if you need that kind of impact, having him coming off the bench is probably the option.”

However, former All Blacks hooker James Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod that he believes Highlanders utility back Vilimoni Koroi, who has barely featured in Super Rugby Pacific season, is the answer to his side’s first-five dilemma.

“Vilimoni Koroi, he’s playing club rugby, and if you think you want to spark a team, especially attacking-wise, he would certainly bring something to the table,” Parsons said.

“We’ve seen him at No 10 a lot for Otago at NPC level, and I tell you what, they had a punt with Gilbert, and it came off.

“They’ve still got Marty Banks there as safety, but I think if you were going to have a crack, you might as well put him out there to start, and then someone of Bank’s experience can come on and settle it down if it doesn’t go to plan.”

Banks is a consistent game driver but does have some limitations in his game, while Koroi, is an attacking livewire, although whether he has the temperament and experience to control a team at Super Rugby level remains to be seen.

The idea of Fakatava or Smith at 10 is a fascinating one as Smith’s distribution of the ball would most likely be exceptional, as would Fakatava’s running threat.

However, the differences with timing and taking the ball at first receiver, may prove too big of an obstacle to overcome.

In saying that, the Hurricanes have played halfbacks at first-five previously, as seen by the utilisation of Perenara and Piri Weepu as their chief playmakers on occasion.

Given Tony Brown’s ability to surprise in team tactics and selection, the Highlanders may choose to adopt a similar approach as a solution to their predicament.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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