ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire identifies some key points from the Highlanders' playoff victory over the Chiefs on Saturday night.
Turning up when it counts
When it comes to the playoffs, what you have done up until that point means nothing. You are essentially starting again and in a one-off game, it is so important that you do not have an off night.
As it turned out this was not an issue for the Highlanders. Everyone who took the field was outstanding. The desperation was evident and you got the feeling that it was one of those games that there was just no way they were not going to play well. This was reflected in the team's performance, in which there was not an area where you would say they did not at least gain parity.
That sort of consistency across the whole team is hard to find. The only potential issue would be whether they played their final two weeks too early. But the key word there is potential, they were brilliant and you cannot take anything away from them.
Playoff intensity
From the first minute it was noticeable that this was a step up from the past five months of rugby. The game was played at such a faster pace, everything was far more physical and on the whole both teams just brought a high intensity. That the Highlanders were able to adapt to this and lift their game to this level showed just how good they were, particularly when you consider the quality of the opposition.
Second half defence
The defensive effort throughout the second half was nothing short of fantastic. Throughout the whole game the defence was outstanding, but it was in the second half that they found themselves in a position where the Chiefs continually applied pressure, but they held firm. The Chiefs were playing the game at the right end of the park and the Highlanders could not seem to get out of their own half for an extended period of time. Damian McKenzie led the way with the Chiefs counterattack, while they used their pick and go and forward runners effectively.
The Highlanders did not stop tackling though, scrambling well and exhibiting great line speed to get up and shut down the Chiefs space. They hit hard, forced turnovers and were able to hold on. In the end the Highlanders had to make nearly double the number of tackles their opponents did, but missed just one more than them, that is an impressive statistic.
Frenetic pace early on
It did not take a genius to see that the Highlanders were trying to speed the game up, particularly in the first half. Their speed of ball at the ruck was fast and they tried to keep it alive where they could through offloading when it was on. The tactic was clearly to run the big Chiefs forward pack around.
They threatened regularly, although the Chiefs defence was strong for the most part, holding the Highlanders to just one try, although a second probably should have been awarded. It was this sort of game that was always going to suit the Highlanders, as it will be next week against a big and bruising Waratahs forward pack.
Chiefs forwards negated
When the Chiefs named their team it was clear that they wanted to take the game to the Highlanders up front. That was sound logic, as it was their scrum that proved so effective the first time these two teams met this year. However, as the game developed it became clear that the Highlanders pack was more than up to the task of negating the threat. The Chiefs looked to hold the ball in the scrum for longer than you would expect, no doubt with the intention of milking a penalty.
That a much smaller Highlanders pack was able to gain parity in this area was huge. Likewise, around the field the Chiefs seemed content with hammering away with their strong forward runners, rather than setting loose what could have been a lethal backline. Indeed the only time the backs really saw the ball was on the counterattack. While the forwards did look good attacking in close, it became one-dimensional and it might have been an idea to mix it up by giving the backs a go every now and again.
Aaron Smith's brilliance
As far as an all round game goes, it is hard to think of a better halfback's performance in recent years than this one from Aaron Smith. He simply did everything. His usual traits were all evident, speed to the ruck, fast and flat pass, energy in bundles. But then he did so much more. Four times he sniped and made breaks from set-piece. These days that is pretty much unheard of. Two of those runs resulted in tries and another should have resulted in a third. He had the sense to know that because the Chiefs forwards were applying so much pressure to the scrum, there was going to be more room to run around the fringes, as the flankers were bound more tightly. That was crucial.
Then there was his support play, particularly in the first try where he stuck with Waisake Naholo to act as a link man after making the initial break. On the second try his ability to draw two men and still unload the ball was impressive. With the boot he had one of his better nights, looking to kick from the base to allow the Highlanders to exit their half. On defence he was outstanding too, making 11 tackles as the Chiefs forward runners kept targeting him behind the ruck.
He was brilliant and aside from a few very, very minor things there was not much else you could have asked from him. It was the best halfback performance in a long, long time and one which would rate right up there with the best individual Highlander performances ever.
