Rugby: Key points - Highlanders v Hurricanes

Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa on the charge against the Hurricanes.
Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa on the charge against the Hurricanes.

ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire identifies some key points from the Highlanders' Super 15 final win over the Hurricanes in Wellingotn on Saturday night.

The greatest moment in Highlanders history

It almost has not quite sunk in yet. In their 20th season, the Highlanders have won their first Super Rugby title. The 19 previous seasons brought a mixture of great teams who could not get the job done, a few teams that battled to over-achieve and a bunch that never looked like winning. After all that, you would have been forgiven for feeling like it was never going to happen.

Then, almost out of the blue, this year's team just went from strength to strength and proved all the doubters wrong. Their resolve was brilliant and if they were no-names at the start of the season, they certainly should not be now. In the past three weeks they have gone through the Chiefs, Waratahs and Hurricanes to win. They are worthy champions. Make the most of it and appreciate this team for how good they have been.

Pace and physicality

The pace this game was played at was phenomenal. Everything was done at lightning speed, with both teams looking to use the ball, getting to the ruck in a flash and clearing the ball to move on to the next phase in no time at all. It was a real test of the fitness of both teams, one which each passed with flying colours. The way the forward pack just kept on going at that same speed for the whole game was testament to how good they are, while the backs did a great job taking the right options with such little time to make decisions. That they were able to maintain this pace shows how fit they are and points to the fact that a lot of these men could be playing at a higher level.

"They said we couldn't"

In the post-match interviews it was mentioned that Lima Sopoaga was yelling "they said we couldn't" as the team left the changing room after half-time. While the team themselves, and indeed most of us in the south, never stopped believing, it was obvious that the perception from outside the region that they would not win this competition was a huge motivating factor. They were out to prove the doubters wrong by being so good they could not be ignored. Then of course there was Aaron Smith's catch-cry "earn the right", as in earn the right to be called champions, which they well and truly have done.

Withstanding pressure

Something the Highlanders have done so well this year is withstand long periods of pressure. Earlier in the year this was key, as they would often find themselves having to hang on for the first quarter of the game, limiting the damage and then cashing in later.

This game was similar, although the periods of pressure came at different stages. The first half saw the Hurricanes hammering away at the Highlanders line on multiple occasions. But the defence stood resolute, with the forwards in particular coming up quickly and getting back into play after making a tackle to prevent the Hurricanes from getting through.

In the second half the Hurricanes looked threatening throughout the middle 20 minutes, forcing the Highlanders to scramble. But again the defence was unwavering. They just tackled and tackled, coming up fast to shut down the Hurricanes' space and then showing great urgency in reorganising for the next phase. After all that, it was an outstanding achievement to hold that Hurricanes team to just one try, particularly given the pace the game was played at.

High work-rate from everyone

In a season where they have been outstanding, the Highlanders forward pack had possibly their best game of the season when it was most needed. It was simply incredible the way they got around the field at such a fast pace and did so for so long. That was key to them holding on to the ball, ensuring that they were either at the ruck first, or were there quickly enough to clean out the Hurricanes players. They showed similar urgency on defence to ensure the Hurricanes could not find a way through.

One of the Highlanders' strengths this year though, has come in the fact that it has not just been the forwards doing all the work. The backs were outstanding too, with the likes of Malakai Fekitoa, Waisake Naholo and Patrick Osborne doing some great work at the breakdown. Richard Buckman never stopped looking for tackles and contained Ma'a Nonu well, while Aaron Smith sprinted around the park and that he got to every ruck so quickly was phenomenal.

All of that helped with support play, taking some of the load off the forwards and preventing the Hurricanes from being a threat at the breakdown.

Key moments can decide big games

By the time it gets to the final of a competition, the teams competing are normally fairly evenly matched. A lot of the time you find they do not give each other an inch and it is a few key moments that decide the outcome. That was certainly true for this game.

The obvious key moment came in Elliot Dixon's try on half-time. Dixon's determination to just keep going summed up the Highlanders' effort as he dragged TJ Perenara, Beauden Barrett, James Broadhurst and Nehe Milner-Skudder over the try line. On the Hurricanes side of things, all four of those men tried to take Dixon high, meaning he could keep pumping his legs which got him over the line.

The next key moment was Julian Savea's botched try in the corner. In what seemed a certain try, arguably the best try-scorer in the world over-ran the final pass and was forced to reach behind him, causing him to fumble the ball. Had he held his run even a second later, he almost certainly would have scored in the corner and the game would have been oh so different.

Then came the most potent of the Hurricanes runs in the second half, around ten minutes from the end. With the crowd chanting "Jerry", Blade Thompson was put into space up the left wing and found himself in a one-on-one situation with Ben Smith. Smith was good though, making the tackle and then getting back up and intercepting an offload to force a crucial turnover, allowing the Highlanders to relieve some pressure.

Of course there were others. Beauden Barrett missed his first three kicks at goal, although Lima Sopoaga missed a couple later on. Then there was Elliot Dixon and Aaron Smith's effort to hold the Hurricanes up in 13th minute to prevent a try. What about the decision to keep applying pressure when the Highlanders had been given two advantages, ending with Waisake Naholo scoring in the corner? And of course there was the Hurricanes' decision to turn down a shot in the first half, before being penalised at the scrum. All were key moments that were difference makers in an otherwise even game.

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