Rugby: Best of the Highlanders in 2014

Nasi Manu, seen in action for the Highlanders against the Force in Dunedin in March, was the team...
Nasi Manu, seen in action for the Highlanders against the Force in Dunedin in March, was the team's most valuable player this year, Jeff Cheshire says. Photo Getty Images

ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire hands out his unofficial awards for the Highlanders' 2014 Super Rugby season.

Best performance: v Sharks in Durban

Up until this point the Sharks had looked almost unbeatable, particularly at home. The Highlanders went over there on the back of some mixed form and pulled out this stunner, which would have to rate up there with the best games they have ever played. They showed great diversity in scoring some fantastic tries, defused the Sharks' kicking game and put them under pressure to force them into mistakes. It was after this game that we realised this Highlanders team could beat anyone in the competition.

Worst performance: v Blues in Auckland

There were a few to choose from here, as there was indeed some bad amongst the good. The two recent losses against the Crusaders and Waratahs may stick out in the mind, but these were both games against top teams on their home patches. This was not so much the case against the Blues, who comprehensively beat the Highlanders at Eden Park in a game the away team never looked like winning. They were awful at the breakdown, lacked punch in the backline and faded after the first 20 minutes.

Best game: v Crusaders in Dunedin

From a watching perspective there was no better game than the classic the Highlanders played out against the Crusaders in Dunedin. It was a high-quality game which was played at a fast pace and showcased the skills and slickness of both teams. Highlanders fans were upset by a touch-and-go decision on the final whistle, which saw Patrick Osborne's try disallowed, denying the home side the win, but that cannot take away from what a great game of rugby it was.

Best try: Malakai Fekitoa v the Sharks

The man went into beast mode and ran through most of the Sharks team to score one of the most improbable, but best, individual tries you will ever see.

Newcomer of the year: Malakai Fekitoa

Fekitoa also wins the award for newcomer of the year, giving some outstanding performances in his first season playing a prominent role in Super Rugby. He added punch, pace, strength and flair to the midfield, things that were lacking last year. Defenders struggled to contain him when given an inkling of space and even when they did, he attracted multiple tacklers. He was more than just a runner though, also displaying a high work rate on defence and made some good reads to know when to rush-up to shut down attacks out wide. Also showed improvements in his distribution game, which is the next thing for him to develop to become an all round player.

Kane Hames, Tom Franklin and Gareth Evans were all outstanding too, while Richard Buckman and Shane Christie impressed in their first seasons of playing major roles.

Defender of the year: Shane Christie

There were plenty of options here, with Nasi Manu, Joe Wheeler and Kane Hames all right up there. No one was prominent defensively than Shane Christie though, a classic openside flanker who kept on running and never stopped tackling. More than once he cracked 20 tackles in a game, which really is phenomenal, while also getting to the high teens on a couple of other occasions. His speed was key and he was fast off the line to shut down the ball carriers space.

Players whose All Black stocks have risen

Kane Hames - You could make a case that Kane Hames was the best New Zealand loosehead prop in Super Rugby this year. He has a high work rate, making a lot of tackles and cleanouts. Perhaps he does not make the same impact plays the likes of an Owen Franks, or Wyatt Crockett would, but he is a player who will work consistently throughout the game. His scrumming was a mixed bag, at times dominant, at times under great pressure, although it is hard to put this down to just one person. With Tony Woodcock's retirement not far away, a replacement loosehead prop needs to be found and Hames looks to be as good a prospect.

Richard Buckman - While the All Blacks have five outstanding outside backs, there is no obvious replacement outside of this group should one be needed. Utilities such as Beauden Barrett have been used, but if a specialist is to be chosen, Buckman has done his chances no harm. He is a very tidy player, safe under the high ball, active chasing and on defence, while having good ball skills. His pace is deceptive and he has the ability to take gaps and beat defenders.

Tim Nanai-Williams and Tom Marshall both make solid cases too, although on form, it would be hard to justify picking either ahead of Buckman after such a strong Super Rugby campaign.

Tom Franklin - The All Blacks have some good locks at the moment, but at 23 Tom Franklin has every chance to join them. He is a hard-worker in the tight, who also has the athleticism and ball skills to make him a threat in the loose. In the air he is outstanding, particularly in claiming kickoffs. As he develops he will become more of a physical presence, but at this stage it is hard not to see a lot of Sam Whitelock in him.

Nasi Manu - At 25 Nasi Manu is still has plenty of years ahead of him and will keep on getting better. His form this season has been outstanding, as it was in 2012 and has shown how much he was missed in 2013.

Unfortunately he finds himself blocked by Kieran Read. The two are different players, with Manu your typical hard-working, strong ball-running looseforward, while Read has better skills, runs well in the open, along with being a physical presence. Manu is more comparable to Jerome Kaino or Liam Messam, the two options at No. 6, meaning if Manu was to be brought in at No. 8 the looseforwards would perhaps not be as nicely balanced. The other thing counting against him is that the selectors seem inclined to only choose one specialist No. 8. That said, performance will eventually talk and if Manu keeps playing the way he is, it will be hard to keep ignoring him.

Long service award: Chris King

Chris King leaves this franchise this year after a century of games and a career in which he was perhaps unlucky not to receive higher honours. He is a hard-working prop who keeps up with the play well, making tackles and often seems to just be there. Sometimes you really have to watch a specific player to realize how much work they do and King is one of them. It is not uncommon to see him be a link player in a long-range try effort, or to clean up loose ball on the ground. His set-piece work has always been solid and last year we saw just how important he was, when the lineout performed much better with him on the park. He leaves a huge hole in the side for next year that has no obvious way to fill.

Most improved player: Joe Wheeler

This was another category where plenty players put their hands up. Lima Sopoaga and Elliot Dixon were big improvers, while Aaron Smith got even better as well. It is hard to go past Joe Wheeler though, as it would have been easy to write him off after last year. He returned after a quiet 2013 where he did not really make an impact as a reliable, hard-worker, who seemed to have learnt a lot from his experience the year before. Like King, he is a player that you really have to watch to realise how valuable he is to a team. His tackle count is always high and he gets to rucks and cleans out more than anyone. Perhaps Brodie Retallick would be a good player comparison, as both men just never stop.

Most valuable player: Nasi Manu

There were three players who really stood out for this category. No one would begrudge you for claiming Ben Smith or Aaron Smith, as both were outstanding, but so was Nasi Manu and there could only be one winner. Manu was a colossus all season, leading the team from the front and acting as the primary source of go-forward. As a ball-carrier there were none better, always gaining momentum proving a handful for defences. On defence he was always amongst the top tacklers.

In fact there were games where he finished as the top tackler and ball carrier for the Highlanders, showing he is not just a one-dimensional player. At the back of the scrum he was outstanding too, coming up with a particularly crucial play late in the second Hurricanes game while under tremendous pressure. You cannot underestimate his ability to not only keep on going, but also to keep making an impact. For a long time he has been one of the most under-rated players in New Zealand rugby and he deserves a chance at the next level.

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