ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire looks at some of the key points from the Highlanders 33-31 loss to the Blues.
No ball in the second half
There were some good patches for the Highlanders, who looked as threatening as ever on the front-foot. Those times came all too rarely in the second half though. Only twice did they put themselves into genuine try-scoring positions - the lineout drive and sequence after a penalty, and the try they eventually did score. Aside from that, they found themselves defending, having to make 155 compared to the Blues 76. Inevitably, that led to penalties being conceded, as they became more desperate to get the ball back. They were unable to do so though, managing just seven points in the second half, after making the most of their opportunities in the first 40, when they scored 24.
Dangerous going forward
You could say most teams look good when on the front-foot, but the Highlanders are team that really do. When they decided to run in the first half, they ran strongly to gain go-forward and were fast in support to ensure quick delivery to the halfback. The result was the Blues defence struggling to remain organised, particularly as the Highlanders utilised the width of the field to set their rucks in different areas. Eventually the gaps presented themselves and the Highlanders were able to cash in with two tries because of this. It begged the question why did not look to run more, preferring a kick and chase tactic for much of the half. The second half saw the Blues defence come up faster, giving the Highlanders less space, making go-forward harder to obtain. That meant the Blues were able to set on defence, allowing them to apply more pressure to quell the Highlanders' threats.
Exposed around fringes
The Highlanders showed great linespeed on defence and were very solid in the midfield. They encountered problems around the fringes of the breakdown though, where Blues halfbacks Bryn Hall and Billy Guyton both made several breaks. Ensuring those close-in channels are occupied by a defender is important, even if the ball-running targets are positioned wider. The Highlanders had times where they did not do that and their opponents made use of the space. This was seen in the lead up to the second and third Blues tries.
The first came after the defence had scrambled and was stretched onto the far-side of the field. The Highlanders were slow getting back and across and numbers were lacking. That made way for Hall to snipe, before linking with Gibson, who ran through a defence that was well and truly on the back foot to score. Perhaps even worse, the second came after a Billy Guyton run around the outside of a lineout. He made good metres and put the Blues into position to score their final try. There were other non-scoring times it happened too. No doubt it is an area that will be looked at.
Lineout rusty
The lineout had a few areas of interest, but most notably it was where the Highlanders coughed up 10 points. The first came when the ball went through the jumper's hands, which saw the Blues regather and attack into the space that came as a result of the Highlanders being out of position on defence. That led to their first try. The second came after a too-flat throw was picked off and the jumper was penalised for playing the man in the air.
The lineout tactics themselves saw the Highlanders set a three-man pod at the front, while another two were positioned at the back. Presumably the pod at the front is to give them the option of a quick throw. If that is not on, which it won't be most of the time, they come together in the middle and have a bunch of variations which see players switching positions. The extra movement possibly made it hard to get the timing right early in the season, although the idea has promise.
Referee issues?
There has been some negative response to some of the refereeing decisions and perhaps some of the claims have merit. Most significantly, Matt Faddes did look to be taken out by Charlie Faumuina in the lead up to the Blues final try. However you have to take the good with the bad. There is rarely a rugby game nowadays without a contentious decision. While it is frustrating when those decisions go against your team, you have to accept they will happen. Blaming the referee doesn't help you get better and the Highlanders, to their credit, are a team that seem to understand that.
