'There'll be a few surprises': Highlanders outline how they can shock Blues
They know they have been far from their best in recent weeks, but Highlanders head coach Tony Brown and captain Aaron Smith remain optimistic of shocking the Blues this weekend.
The Highlanders limped into the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals as the competition’s eighth-placed team on Sunday despite losing 31-30 to the Rebels at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
Securing a losing bonus point was enough for the Dunedin-based franchise to clinch the last spot in the top eight, which comes in spite of them winning just four of their 14 matches this season.
Their reward for making the post-season is a quarter-final clash against a star-studded Blues outfit at Eden Park in Auckland this Saturday.
Coming up against a team that is in the midst of a record-breaking 13-match winning streak to finish the regular season at the top of the table leaves the Highlanders as massive underdogs as they search for an unlikely semi-final berth.
Brown made no secret of the fact that is side are viewed as significant outsiders to progress past this weekend, but suggested that status could be of benefit for the Highlanders.
“It’s good being written off. I think we’ll embrace the underdog tag, and the Highlanders have always sort of had that tag anyway, so it suits us,” Brown said after the Rebels defeat.
“We’ve just got to find a way to win, and we’ll be putting all of our efforts into preparing as well as we can.
“We’ll have a few surprises for them. I’ve got no idea who I’m going to select, so there’ll be a few surprises there as well, and we’ll go up there and give it our best shot.”
Whether the Highlanders will be able to produce their best efforts in a bid to upset the Blues remains to be seen following two weeks of underwhelming performances against Australian opposition.
A week prior to the Rebels loss, the Highlanders succumbed to a dismal 32-20 defeat at the hands of the Waratahs in Dunedin.
Those results, coupled with injuries and unavailabilities all throughout their roster, leaves the Highlanders in dire straits heading into the opening round of the playoffs.
It’s for that reason that Brown implored his squad to rediscover their mojo with less than a week until their season goes on the line.
“We live to fight another day, but we’ve got to find Highlanders footy, and we’ve got to find that quickly if we’re going to do anything in the playoffs,” he said.
“I think in parts of that game [against the Rebels], especially early on, we were unstoppable, but we just didn’t score enough points when we had all that time inside the 22.
“We’ve just got to be better there, and then when the game gets hard, we’ve got to be a bit mentally tougher than we are at the moment.
“I wish we were playing better rugby. I wish we were enjoying our rugby more as a rugby team. I don’t know what the word is, but we’re not quite on top of our game, and we’ve got to find it in six days’ time.”
Smith doubled down on Brown’s calls for improvement as pinpointed his team’s failure to capitalise on a strong start and lack of execution with ball in hand as key reasons behind their loss to the Rebels.
“We knew that we were up against a really good team today, and we knew that there were plenty opportunities for us on attack if we got it right, and I think that showed out in that first 30 minutes, but they came good in that third quarter,” Smith said.
“We took the game back a little bit, we won some penalties, but we just missed some key moments that really got that belief in their game back.
“I think if we nailed some key moments early in that second half, we could have really put the pressure back on them, and we weren’t able to do that.
“I thought our bench, again, came on and added something, which has been a strength for us, but I think today they were just a bit more clinical and their pounce ability at the end caught us.
“We couldn’t come home strong enough, but we showed really good stuff there.
“Some of the plans that we put in place during the week to score points was there, and we probably threw away two or three tries through skill errors or just not respecting the ball.”
In saying that, Smith refused to rule out the prospect of what would be a monumental boil over at Eden Park, where he said his side would have to be fearless in a rematch of last year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final.
“I think, for us, it’s about getting really clear on how we’re going to try and stop the Blues,” the Highlanders captain said of how they plan to stun the Blues.
“They’ve got weapons across the park, but it’s going out there fearless, we’re in, going to Eden Park with a real edge.
“One thing we’ve got lucky about is we played a final there last year, so, for a few of us, it’ll be a same kind of feeling. We were kind of underdogs last year, so it’s going up there with total belief.
“We’ve probably got to dump this game pretty quickly, and turn all our focus and all our energy is just about Saturday night at Eden Park.
“Obviously I’m pretty gutted right now, but talking about being up in Auckland next Saturday gets me pretty excited, and I think once the boys land back in New Zealand, that’s got to be our sole focus.
“Come Saturday night, have no fear, let’s play, and we’ll give the Blues everything we’ve got.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Jacobsen will definitely be in the 23
2 Go to commentsLots of discussion points, Ben, but two glaring follies IMO: 1. Blackadder at 6. Has done nothing so far this season to justify his selection. Did you see him going backwards in contact at the weekend? Simply has not got the physical presence at 6: we need a Scott Barrett or a Finau (or wildcard Ah Kuoi), beasts who are big enough to play lock, like Frizzell. If Barret played at 6, Paddy could be joined at lock by Vai’i or one of the young giants we need to promote, like Darry or Lord (if he ever gets on the field). Blackadder best left to join the queue for 7. 2. Not even a mention for Christie? Ratima gets caught at crucial times at the back of the ruck when he hesitates on the pass. The only way he starts would be if Christie and TJ are injured.
2 Go to commentsWhat 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 comments