Long kick, no chase
The main problem in the first half, in a general sense, came in the Highlanders inability to get their hands on the ball. It did not help then, that when they did have it they seemed to just kick it back to the opposition. There was no pressure being applied, or no urgency in the chase to try to pin the Brumbies in their own half, or to force an error. The chase was slow, which gave the Brumbies backs all the space and time in the world to launch a counterattack. When kicking long, as the Highlanders were, you really need to get up on it quickly and cut down that space. As they say, a kick is only as good as its chase and while it may be cliché, it was so true here.
Slow to the breakdown
The Brumbies took a very attacking mindset to the breakdown while on defence, with the likes of David Pocock getting over the ball very quickly. Unfortunately, the Highlanders were not so urgent and were far too slow. They really needed someone to specifically go out there to beat the Brumbies first man to the ruck, so he could not use his hands, or to clean him out if he was there first. From there you would have another couple of players arriving soon after as the second wave of cleaners, which would have provided protection of the ball and for Fumiaka Tanaka. This did not happen though and when it did, they did so inaccurately. The result was the ball getting stolen, or Tanaka being put under copious amounts of pressure which he struggled with.
Handling errors
Everyone saw these and there was not much more to it than just needing to catch the ball. They were trying to be creative at times, which caused them to force passes that were tough to take. But there were so many others where the receiver just straight dropped the ball. When you are struggling to gain possession, you really cannot afford to go making those sorts of basic mistakes.
Tough to stop rolling maul
The Brumbies set their maul well and it was always going to tough to stop. Their structure was excellent, which is the key to creating a good drive, as it means the force going forward is greater and in a more condensed space. They were fast to the ball, well bound, with few gaps and got the ball to the back quickly. There is not much you can do about that, particularly when they are able to bring in more players and you are not. The best way to breaking up a maul is usually to split it, limit the force by destroying the platform it was set on. However when the attacking team sets it effectively, you are going to struggle to do that. Another option would have been to go for the sack straight away before the maul had formed. That would have been more risky though, especially given the Brumbies had their players on the ball so quickly.
Would the All Blacks have made a difference?
It was always going to be tough without the All Black trio of Malakai Fekitoa and the two Smith's, Ben and Aaron. But it is hard to say that they really would have made too much of a difference. Aaron Smith no doubt would have helped. His speed to the ruck and flatter, quicker pass would have made a big difference, but he would have been under the same pressure as Tanaka. Fekitoa would have added another dimension on attack, as would have Ben Smith, but they would have needed the ball in the first place to do that. Certainly they all would have helped. The source of the problem was up front though.
The impact of the bench
You do not often see players being replaced in the first half, let alone four of them. It was harsh in some ways, as the ones that were replaced were not overly worse than anyone else. But the men who came on did make a difference. Dan Pryor was outstanding, showing great urgency and throwing himself around. He looked as though he really wanted to make a difference. Brendon Edmunds had another impressive performance too, getting through plenty of work, while Josh Hohneck and Ash Dixon went well. Jason Emery had a reasonable game, aside from one bad dropped ball, while Joe Latta worked hard when he came on. Josh Renton was pretty solid on debut, while Gareth Evans ranged well. None of these men were on the field while any points were conceded, which was telling. Their urgency and spark was something that was lacking in the first 35 minutes, which made a noticeable difference.
Panic on attack
There were times where the Highlanders looked as if they felt they had to make something happen. Rather than just being patient and waiting for an opening, they were forcing passes and trying to keep the ball alive when it would have been better to hold and set a ruck. Admittedly the support at the ruck was not flash, but throwing passes to players under pressure is never going to be a good idea. They lacked direction in general and when they take the ball to line, they did so hesitantly without getting up a full head of steam. Perhaps it was all the talk surrounding Lima Sopoaga this week that did not help. He certainly looked like he felt he needed to create things and ended up making too many mistakes from trying to force things.
Everyone has a bad day
Every year you can just about guarantee that somewhere along the line, every team will have at least one game where they do not play well. The passes do not stick, the energy is not there and the support is too slow. We saw it in Dunedin a few weeks ago when the Stormers were routed in one of their poorer performances. It is going to happen, the key is to not make it a regular thing. Bouncing back will be important, as you do not want to put too many of these games together, as that is how you get yourself into a run of poor form and dig a hole that is tough to get out of.
