ODT rugby writer Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders after their win against the Sharks in Dunedin last night.
Ben Smith 7.5/10: Looked dangerous with ball in hand, making a couple of good breaks running at gaps. Good defensively too, reacting quickly to save a couple of sticky situations.
Waisake Naholo 7/10: Ran strongly all night and chased hard too. Scored a good try after Lima Sopoaga spotted space in behind, timing his run onto the kick to perfection.
Malakai Fekitoa 7/10: Was heavily targeted and pretty well looked after by the defence, which was okay because it opened up acres of space elsewhere. Pretty solid on defence too, particularly in cover.
Richard Buckman 7/10: Took a few gaps well and was tidy defensively.
Patrick Osborne 9/10: Absolutely outstanding, was handful all night and constantly went looking to get himself involved. Made plenty of good metres when carrying the ball, scored a try and was involved in setting up a few others.
Lima Sopoaga 8.5/10: Another who hardly put a foot wrong, bar one or two mistakes. Kicked well to exploit the space in behind the Sharks line well, while looking dangerous as a playmaker, creating multiple breaks, throwing some good cut-out passes and was key in the second and third tries.
Aaron Smith 8/10: Ran well at the holes in close, passed well, had one of his better nights with the boot and got pretty involved on defence.
Nasi Manu 7.5/10: Was dangerous with his hands and strong running in the open in the first half, but it was in the first five minutes of the second where his biggest contribution came. In this period he was relentless in the game-changing defensive effort, adding physicality and just kept tackling.
Dan Pryor 7/10: Another who was hugely prominent on defence and showed some good attacking skills with a run down the line followed by a chip and chase.
Gareth Evans 7/10: Ranged exceptionally well on attack and made a handful of good tackles on defence.
Mark Reddish 6/10: Gave away a couple of penalties through inaccuracies, but was pretty solid otherwise. Showed great hustle to score his try and supported well at the breakdown.
Tom Franklin 6.5/10: Was the go-to man in the lineout early and was a safe target. Got busy on defence too, although like Reddish, he also gave away a couple of penalties which seemed to come from straight mind-lapses.
Josh Hohneck 7/10: Did well going up against Beast Mtawarira in the scrum and was physical on defence around the park.
Liam Coltman 8/10: Looked really keen, bringing urgency and physicality to his game. Potent on defence, showed great awareness at the breakdown, threw well at the lineout and made a couple of good runs too.
Kane Hames 7/10: Obtained dominance in the scrum and came up with a huge play when he won a penalty with the Highlanders under pressure early in the second half. Not quite so active around the park, although still solid in his general play.
Ash Dixon 7/10: Brutal on defence.
Brendon Edmunds 7/10: Continues to impress with his mobility and impact, notably forcing a turnover and linking well to score a try.
Pingi Tala'apitaga 6/10: Not quite as dominant in the scrum, but was solid enough aside from one penalty. Got around the park well and made a few tackles.
Joe Latta (No Rating): Came on for the last ten minutes and did not lack for physicality.
Elliot Dixon 6.5/10: Pretty solid on defence and did well to score his try.
Fumiaki Tanaka (No Rating): Threw a good pass to set up a try from a ruck and was generally very tidy.
Marty Banks 6/10: Came on at fullback and was sound in his positional play. Did not look like sparking much, but took good options and did not make any mistakes.
Jason Emery (No Rating): Closed the game out well, ran hard at the line and made a couple of tackles.
