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Foot up, elevated by several cushions and a foot stool, ice strapped on, and pizza by my side, when 7.30 rolled around I was ready to watch the Highlanders beat the Hurricanes and extend their season record to 4 and 0.
I was pretty sceptical of Jamie Joseph's pick of Jimmy Cowan to start over Aaron Smith and was hoping that as the coach he knew what he was on about, because since when does it make sense to bench arguably the most in-form half back in New Zealand for a half back who, though a veteran, doesn't seem to have the desire to perform? Since never, that's when.
This Highlanders team is a team built on heart and desire and energy. It's a team out to prove itself, and it's doing exactly that. Cowan, however, just doesn't seem to have his heart in it anymore, and on a team like the Highlanders, it just doesn't work (though maybe it would on a team like the Blues...).
Meanwhile, Aaron Smith plays with an energy and excitement that is tangible, that combines with the rest of the team to create a chemistry that sparks and is apparent in the play. That is what the Highlanders need. It's not always all about the number of tests played; sometimes it's the size of the heart that matters.
Ben Smith back wearing the number 15 jersey was a relief as Slade just doesn't have Smith's running game at fullback and it's been sorely missed. I was also stoked to see Chris Noakes back in the line-up, even if he wasn't starting.
Feel free to rub my face in it down the road (though you won't get the chance), but Chris Noakes is going to develop into one of the premier first-fives in this competition and be invaluable to the continued success of the Highlanders. We saw it earlier in the season and we saw it when he came on this Saturday, his boot got them the points, but his cool and calm play settled the team down and kept the win in their hands.
There was a dark spot in what was otherwise a game brimming with good old fashioned showdown potential: referee Bryce Lawrence.
His performance last weekend at the Highlanders vs. Waratahs game left something to be desired (yeah, I know you can say that about most, especially when calls go against your team). As it went down, it was Keith Brown, not Lawrence (well, Lawrence with that crooked feed) whose decisions to blow the whistle didn't always make sense.
I know the laws are enforced as they are interpreted by the referee, but some of the inconsistencies, especially at scrum time, are just unacceptable at this level. I always hear it said that sirs have a hard time with the scrum, especially with the front row, because they have no experience of the intricacies of those positions.
Well, next referee training session, have a scrum, put them in the front row and let them scrum and scrum until they understand. Maybe then they'll also understand how tiring it can be and how old having reset after reset can get. Wouldn't that be nice...
Oh and in case you didn't watch the game and wanted to cheat by reading this and then repeating it to others like you know what you are talking about (something I've never, ever done, scouts' honor), the Highlanders won 19-17.
It was yet again a game where they came out dangerous on attack, looking like a try scoring machine, only to give away control of the game and concede the lead at half-time.
Happily, they also continued their trend of scratching their way back and winning. I may not be a fan of this "let's let the other team back in it" tactic (who is?? My blood pressure is not enjoying it), but as long as they keep going with the "let's get back in and win it" tactic, and succeeding, then I can go with it.