ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders after their win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Ben Smith 8/10: Was dangerous in so many ways. Ran dangerously into the line, had a few deft touches to put men into space, had a couple of well-timed kicks, supported well, got his team out of pressure by ripping the ball off his opponent and scored an outstanding solo try.
Ryan Tongia 6.5/10: Scored a couple of outstanding tries, particularly the second which came via a brilliant chip kick. Was quiet thereafter and got a bit lost defensively, but his impact was made early on and that was key to how the game developed.
Malakai Fekitoa 7/10: Did not make his usual breaks, but was attracting at times three defenders, which created so much space out wide. Still made one great break though, setting up a long-range try and throwing a nice offload to keep the movement going.
Richard Buckman 7/10: Rock solid and highly active on defence, while being potent at the breakdown too. Ran well with ball in hand and took good options on attack.
Patrick Osborne 7/10: Another who attracted multiple defenders, particularly when he came into the line off the blindside wing. Was safe under the high ball, looked dangerous running and threw a nice pass to put John Hardie into space to start the movement for Aaron Smith's try.
Lima Sopoaga 6.5/10: Generally took good options, exploiting the space created by the flat Cheetahs defence and kicking well in behind.
Aaron Smith 7.5/10: Added spark on attack, both in running from the base, in support and with his fast pass.
Nasi Manu 7/10: Was pretty loose, but that was how the game was played in the first 60 minutes. Made a good run and had a nice offload to set up Aaron Smith for his try and hit rucks hard in support play.
John Hardie 6/10: Got better as the game went on. Made a few tackles and had a couple of good runs. Spent a lot of the game ranging on the left side of the park, which meant he was not quite so involved, as much of the rampant first half was played on the other side.
Gareth Evans 8/10: Absolutely outstanding ranging up the right wing. Admittedly most of the first half was played on this side, but Evans was into everything. He ran well, made a handful of tackles, was fast to rucks, passed well and got up fast to cause the Cheetahs problems at lineout time.
Mark Reddish 7/10: Jumped well at the back of the lineout and was pretty solid around the park, supporting well and making a few tackles.
Alex Ainley 7.5/10: Was accurate in the air and was one of the Highlanders best in the tight, making a lot of tackles and getting to rucks.
Josh Hohneck 7/10: Strong in the scrum and worked hard around the park, in particular having a period where he put in a few big hits around the 50 minute mark.
Liam Coltman 7.5/10: Threw accurately into the lineout, the majority of which saw him throwing to the back. Was fast to the breakdown in support too, while also effecting a good turnover.
Brendon Edmonds 7/10: Another who scrummed well, while also getting around the park well in support and making a couple of runs.
Ash Dixon 6/10: Was quiet initially, but really became prominent on defence after the Cheetahs started their comeback.
Dan Lienert-Brown 6/10: Had probably his best game at this level, making a handful of tackles and got his hands on the ball.
Ross Geldenhuys 5/10: Was pretty mobile and kept up with the play well.
Tom Franklin 5/10: Had one bad missed tackle, but was reasonably good otherwise, getting involved and running hard into contact.
Elliot Dixon 6.5/10: Took over from Manu and did not have quite the same dominance around him to work with, but was strong in the loose, making a couple of runs and got involved on defence.
Dan Pryor 7.5/10: Came on when the Cheetahs were running rampant and added plenty to the defence. Only two Highlanders made more tackles and he was only on for 12 minutes, although the Highlanders did do a lot more tackling in the last 20 minutes than throughout the rest of the game.
Fumiaki Tanaka 6/10: Pretty solid aside from one wonky kick.
Marty Banks 6/10: Similar to Tanaka. Did not get too many chances on attack, but was tidy.
