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‘Treated as playoff games’: Why the Highlanders are ready for must-win Blues clash
When the full-time siren sounded at Forsyth Barr Stadium last Friday, Highlanders fans in Dunedin would’ve let out a collective sigh of relief.
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The Highlanders lived to fight another day in Super Rugby Pacific.
Moments earlier, the Dunedin-based franchise were trailing the Queensland Reds 28-30 with just five minutes to play – the deficit left their season hanging in the balance.
But replacement Folau Fakatava, who is the heir apparent to legendary halfback Aaron Smith, produced a moment of individual brilliance to save the day for the Highlanders.
Spotting a gap down the short side, Fakatava sliced through tackle attempts from winger Mac Grealy and Wallaby Jock Campbell, and jotted the ball down in front of the Zoo with 28 seconds to play.
The Highlanders were victorious – and a Freddie Burns conversion from the right sideline was the icing on the cake.
It was their second win a row, and saw the Highlanders occupy eighth spot on the ladder heading into the final round of the season.
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Their destiny is in their hands.
Ahead of their clash with the Blues on Friday, the equation is simple: win, and they quality for the playoffs. But if they lose, other results will need to fall their way.
It’s up to them.
Playmaker Mitch Hunt has revealed the secret to the Highlanders’ success over the last fortnight, and affirmed that they’re going “to win” in round 15.
“The positive heading into this week has probably been our last two weeks,” Hunt told RugbyPass.
“With the nature of our season and where we’ve sort of left ourselves, the last two weeks were really… treated as playoff games.
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“We’ve sort of been in a little bit of that mindset for the last couple of weeks.
“The way our last two games finished, traditionally we may have lost tight games like that as the Landers over the last few years.
“I think we take some great confidence out of knowing that in those tight games, the last few weeks we’ve been able to finish. That’s been great, we’ve treated them like finals.
“If we win we go through, if we lose there’s still a chance but then it relies on everyone else.
“We want to take control of our own destiny and we’re going up there to win, as tough as it may be heading up to Auckland.”
Hunt was the Highlanders’ first-choice flyhalf for most of this season, but was dropped in favour of Freddie Burns earlier this month.
But back in the starting side, the 27-year-old found his groove playing out the back against the Reds in the No. 15 jersey.
With more time and space, Hunt wreaked havoc with the ball in hand.
“At fullback, not that 10 is but sometimes you can get a bit stuck in controlling the game at 10 depending on the shape that your team plays… I probably felt a little bit stuck through maybe the start of the year at 10,” Hunt added.
“Fullback allows you to roam a little bit, you get a bit more hands on the ball in the wider channels or even have those counter attacks.
“It’s a nice wee change up sometimes and I really enjoy getting back there and getting (my) hands on the ball.”
The match between the Highlanders and Blues is set to get underway at 7.05pm NZST at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday.
Comments on RugbyPass
Kok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
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