ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders after their 44-7 win over the Blues in Auckland last night.
Ben Smith 6.5/10: Did not get too many chances to attack, but was classy in the little things he did that made a big difference, such as buying time for Naholo to get back and clear. Came into the line to get his hands on the ball and drew defenders.
Waisake Naholo 7/10: Came in close and looked to provide go-forward early, then made a few good breaks as the game wore on, while being good under the high ball too.
Richard Buckman 6.5/10: Pretty tidy on attack and took a good gap to make a break. Had a brilliant touch with his quick hands to set up Osborne's try and defended well too.
Shaun Treeby 6.5/10: Crashed the ball strongly in the midfield on attack, running hard into contact and drawing defenders. Came up with a brilliant intercept followed by an offload and also scored the first try.
Patrick Osborne 7/10: Probably the best of the backs. Dangerous with ball in hand, tackled well when his man got outside him and did a sublime piece of work to tap the ball down to Ben Smith to score after a cross kick.
Lima Sopoaga 6/10: Did not tear the Blues to pieces, but kicked reasonably well to put the team in good attacking positions.
Aaron Smith 5.5/10: Kicked poorly and made a few handling errors, while also passing a bit flat at times with a Blues defence that was rushing up quickly. Did some great work on defence though, reading situations well to alleviate danger on multiple occasions.
Dan Pryor 8/10: Ran strongly and freely in the open, while being the most prominent Highlander tackling on defence.
John Hardie (No Rating): Just cannot seem to get a break, left the field in the first 20 minutes with suspected rib damage. Was going okay up until that point, getting around the field well and scoring a try from the back of a well-set maul.
Elliot Dixon 7.5/10: Was highly involved, going looking for work and providing good go-forward with his strong ball carries.
Joe Latta 6.5/10: Got amongst it in the tight, was aggressive and grabbed a couple of turnovers too.
Alex Ainley 7.5/10: Stood out, particularly in the first half, with his high work rate and brought physicality too. Carried the ball well and made eight tackles.
Josh Hohneck 6/10: Had a good period throughout the middle of the second half where he was fairly involved. Was yellow carded for an alleged shoulder charge in the middle of the first half.
Liam Coltman 7.5/10: Strong in contact, ran the ball hard and was good in support play.
Dan Lienert-Brown 6/10: Solid if not spectacular. Made one good tackle in the open and showed desperation at one point to save a loose ball on the ground. Supported well at the breakdown.
Ash Dixon 7/10: Took over well from Coltman. Had to do a bit more tackling, but did this well and was aggressive and threw himself around as always.
Brendon Edmonds 6.5/10: Brought physicality on defence to add a bit of spark off the bench.
Ross Geldenhuys (No Rating): Had a brief stint in the first half while Hohneck was off the park, but mainly played in the last ten minutes or so where he made a handful of tackles.
Jackson Hemopo 6/10: Solid on debut, made a few tackles and got up really well at the back of the lineout on the throw that was called to him.
Gareth Evans 7.5/10: Potent on defence and ran well on attack, even made a good kick up-field at one stage to apply pressure. Was explosive and fast off the back of the scrum when he went to No. 8.
Fumiaki Tanaka: Did not play.
Marty Banks: Did not play.
Kurt Baker 6/10: Played the last 20 minutes. Did not get too many chances, but did not do a lot wrong either.
