Vilimoni Koroi a chance to start at No 10 for Highlanders in must-win match
All Blacks Sevens star Vilimoni Koroi may be called upon to start at first-five for the Highlanders as their season goes on the line against the Rebels in Melbourne on Sunday.
Following their 32-20 defeat to the Waratahs in Dunedin last weekend, the Highlanders may need at least one competition point, if not two, from their match against the Rebels as the Force continue to apply pressure on their playoffs spot.
The Force head into their clash against the Hurricanes in Perth on Saturday just three points behind the eighth-placed Highlanders after they scored a bonus-point win over Moana Pasifika in Auckland on Tuesday.
If the Force beat the Hurricanes at HBF Park, the onus will then go on the Highlanders to get the job done AAMI Park the following day, a task that has been made that much more difficult by their shortage of first-five options.
A week after thriving in his surprise new position of No 10, Highlanders youngster Sam Gilbert was sent off for dumping Waratahs star Michael Hooper on his head, resulting in a five-week suspension from the SANZAAR judicial committee.
Gilbert’s unavailability leaves Tony Brown’s side short-changed at first-five as incumbent playmaker Mitch Hunt is in doubt as he continues to work his way back from concussion protocols.
As such, veteran pivot Marty Banks stands as the frontrunner to don the No 10 jersey in his side’s do-or-die clash against the Rebels, but Koroi hasn’t been ruled out of selection contention.
Despite having featured just once this year in a bench cameo against the Blues in March, Highlanders assistant coach Riki Flutey said Koroi is very much in the running to start at first-five this weekend.
“Yeah, it definitely does,” Flutey said of whether Koroi has been touted as a possible first-five candidate for the Highlanders.
“Also, obviously, Marty Banks as well, so it [Gilbert’s and Hunt’s unavailabilities] creates opportunities for others.”
Flutey’s comments come after Brown labelled Koroi, typically an outside back who has occasionally played first-five for Otago in the NPC, as a long-term No 10 prospect earlier this year.
Of strong sevens pedigree, Koroi would offer the Highlanders more of an attacking threat at first receiver than Banks, although it may be seen as a risk to thrust the former into the chief playmaking role at such a critical juncture in his side’s season.
Koroi would, though, be aided in his sudden promotion to the starting team by the imminent returns of midfield duo Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Fetuli Paea.
Umaga-Jensen and Paea missed the loss to the Waratahs through respective back and quad injuries, but Flutey said both players are in line for selection against the Rebels.
“Thomas has a stiff back, so that’s why he didn’t play and pulled out, so we’re just going to see how he comes through today, really,” Flutey said on Tuesday.
“Fetuli’s got a tight quad, so he’s another one that we’re going to be testing, to see if he’s going to be available for selection.”
Having Umaga-Jensen and Paea on deck would help provide Koroi, or Banks, with support, direction and power in the backline.
Another who missed the Waratahs match but is set to play the Rebels is former Wallabies prop Jermaine Ainsley, while in-form No 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u was demoted to the bench despite being named to start after battling the flu.
Flutey described Umaga-Jensen and Mikaele-Tu’u and “world-class players” who would give the Highlanders a much-needed boost if they were to return to action this weekend.
“They’re world-class players, those two. They’ve been playing awesome for us. They’ve been massive for, particularly, our attack side of things,” he said.
Flutey added that he supported Brown’s criticism of poor preparation in the wake of the defeat to the Waratahs, noting that the Highlanders must produce a better effort against the Rebels.
“It was a poor performance. You look on our attack side, we were loose, we were loose in the carry, trying to offload when we hadn’t dominated collisions and didn’t sight the target, all those little things on the [defence] side,” he said.
“We were giving away silly penalties that got them in the game, mainly around the offside.
“That’s a simple one. That’s an easy one we need to get right because, over the last few weeks, we’ve been getting pinged for it and letting teams off the hook with our momentum.
“On both sides of the ball, it’s something that we’ll talk about today, and we really put it down to the preparation, individuals’ preparation going into the game and what that looked like.
“We definitely need to be better, particularly going over to Melbourne with the travel. This week’s prep has to be massive. We need to get an outcome.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood 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.
19 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.
19 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?
9 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.
9 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.
28 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 🤐
19 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….
28 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….
19 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….
88 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 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 comments