Rugby: Player ratings - Highlanders v Hurricanes

Richard Buckman was the best of the Highlanders backs against the Hurricanes.
Richard Buckman was the best of the Highlanders backs against the Hurricanes.
ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders on their performance against the Hurricanes in Napier last night.

Marty Banks 4.5/10: Offered nothing on attack and kicked poorly, notably one in which he missed touch while the side were a man down and the Hurricanes scored on the counter.

Waisake Naholo 4.5/10: Was shut down well on attack and got shown up defensively by Julian Savea and co.

Jason Emery 4/10: Struggled with his positional play in a difficult defensive position that Fekitoa normally fills so well, while seeing few chances on attack.

Richard Buckman 6.5/10: Easily the best of the backs, was solid on defence and tidy on attack, having a few nice touches with some quick hands.

Ryan Tongia 5.5/10: Added some spark to the attack, scoring a try and creating another, although was poor defensively and got lost a bit too often.

Lima Sopoaga 4.5/10: Made some tackles, but missed a few too as he tried to take his man too high. Missed three very kickable shots at goal and did not really ignite the backline.

Fumiaki Tanaka 4.5/10: Did not lack for effort, but was too slow with his delivery, taking an extra step before releasing and passing too deep, preventing the players from running on to the ball. Did not seem to organize the defence in the way Aaron Smith does so well either.

Elliot Dixon 7/10: Probably the best Highlander on the park, never stopped trying and was strong and defence and ran hard on attack.

John Hardie 6.5/10: Another who showed great urgency, getting quickly to loose ball, running well in the open and making plenty of tackles too.

Gareth Evans 6/10: Made one good break and was solid around the park, particularly on defence where he was tighter than normal. Was yellow-carded early on, although that came from the team being under pressure more than a dumb play from Evans.

Tom Franklin (No Rating): Left the field in the first quarter, picking up an injury in trying to make a cover tackle. Looked okay while he was on, making one good run and a couple of tackles in the open.

Alex Ainley 6/10: Pretty solid, made his tackles and hit rucks.

Ross Geldenhuys 6/10: Made a few tackles and got to enough rucks, although did not make a huge impact in contact.

Ash Dixon 7/10: Led well from the front, went looking for work to do and brought a great intensity. Tackled well on defence and was strong going into contact on attack.

Brendon Edmonds 6/10: Put a couple of good hits in and made a few good plays in the loose. Was run around by Ardie Savea just prior to coming off, although that was always a mismatch.

Liam Coltman 5.5/10: Came on with the team on the back foot and had a hard time making an impact. Went looking to get involved though and was physical in the tight and did a few good things on attack and defence.

Daniel Lienert-Brown 5/10: Pretty quiet, coming on at the same time as Coltman but really struggled to make a huge difference in either the set-piece or general play.

Pingi Tala'apitaga (No Rating): Came on late and did not get too many chances, although made three tackles in 12 minutes.

Joe Latta 6/10: Replaced Franklin after 18 minutes and was solid. Made a handful of tackles and snaffled a couple of turnovers.

Dan Pryor 6/10: Another who did a few good things, although threw an awful pass to squander an opportunity to score a bonus point try after making a good run up the sideline.

Scott Eade 4/10: Had a tough introduction to Super Rugby and will be better for it. Came up against the best team in the competition in a game where his team was playing terribly and he made a few basic mistakes, although passed well.

Shaun Treeby 5/10: Made a couple of runs, but struggled to make an impact against a rock-solid Hurricanes midfield.

Kurt Baker 7/10: Added spark, making a couple of good breaks and looked to offload too.

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