ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders after their loss to the Hurricanes in Dunedin last night.
Ben Smith 7.5/10: Outstanding, particularly towards the end where he went looking for the ball and wanted to be the one to make the difference. Stepped well and was dangerous throughout.
Waisake Naholo 6/10: Handled Julian Savea pretty well, although was pretty well handled himself too.
Malakai Fekitoa 6.5/10: Became more prominent in the second half, particularly on defence. Was well-contained on attack, but always provided go-forward and attracted defenders.
Shaun Treeby 6.5/10: Defended well and tidied up a few loose balls well too. Made a couple of good breaks and took good options.
Patrick Osborne 7.5/10: Had a couple of outstanding runs, one which set up a sequence which almost led to a try. Also took a couple of brilliant high balls.
Lima Sopoaga 6/10: Looked threatening taking the ball to line and took a gap well to score his try. Made a couple of mistakes though and did not have his best night kicking.
Aaron Smith 5/10: Had a shocking start, kicking the ball out on the full three times and throwing a poor pass in the first five minutes. Was solid thereafter in a game which did not suit his style.
Nasi Manu 7.5/10: Dangerous running the ball, providing go-forward and hitting gaps well. Got stuck in on defence as well, making a team-high 18 tackles and winning two turnovers.
Elliot Dixon 7.5/10: Seemed to be everywhere on defence, making tackles and forcing errors. Was a good target in the lineout, winning ball both on and against the throw.
Dan Pryor 7.5/10: Another prominent defender, relentless in his work in the loose and his desperation.
Joe Wheeler 6.5/10: Made a lot of tackles in tight and was great in this regard, although made a couple of mistakes.
Tom Franklin 6.5/10: Similar to Wheeler except was slightly looser, particularly on attack where he roams well and made an offload.
Josh Hohneck 7/10: Went well at set piece, while working hard too, tackling hard in close and getting his hands on the ball multiple times on attack.
Liam Coltman 7.5/10: Continued in his good form by being prominent and physical on defence, showing good line speed, while also supporting well at the ruck on attack. Threw well into the lineout which he deserves credit for given the criticism he took for it last year.
Brendon Edmunds 7/10: Got Ben Franks frustrated at scrum time which was good to see and was outstanding around the park in making tackles and looking for breakdown turnovers. Loses half a mark for conceding a dumb breakdown penalty.
Ash Dixon 6.5/10: Came on when the game started to loosen up, supported play well and like Coltman, continued his good form.
Daniel Lienert-Brown 5.5/10: Did not make any mistakes, but was nowhere near as prominent as Edmunds who he replaced.
Mark Reddish 6.5/10: Won his lineout ball and added physicality in contact.
Gareth Evans 6/10: Was a lot looser than the other loose forwards, although the game was far tighter earlier as well. Did not get too many chances ranging although managed to effect a turnover.
Fumiaki Tanaka (No Rating): Provided quick ball when it was vital as the team were chasing the game while he was on the park.
Jason Emery (No Rating): Did not get too many chances, but was reasonably solid and had one good run