Highlanders have to win both games well and hope

Liam Coltman during the Highlanders' loss to the Stormers in South Africa last week. Photo: Getty...
Liam Coltman during the Highlanders' loss to the Stormers in South Africa last week. Photo: Getty Images
The equation is simple for the Highlanders - get out and win, and win big, and then cross all appendages.

The Highlanders had the bye in Super Rugby over the weekend and, as a result, dropped two places to 12th on the table.

They sit on 29 points. Eighth-placed team, the Sharks, are on 33 points.

The only teams completely out of the running are the Reds and the Sunwolves.

The Crusaders, Jaguares, Brumbies and Hurricanes appear set for the playoffs but behind them are nine teams still in with a chance of making the playoffs.

There are plenty of what-could-happens and what-could-nots but the Highlanders just want to keep it simple.

The buzz term in the sport these days is "control the controllables" so the Highlanders simply have to go out and win their two remaining games.

The side takes on the Bulls on Friday night at Forsyth Barr Stadium. The Bulls sit seventh on the table after a 22-22 draw with the Blues on Friday night.

The plan for the Highlanders will be to run the big South Africans around under the roof and score three more tries than the Africans to take the maximum five points on offer.

The team has been able to do this only once this season - against the lowly Sunwolves - and, after a week off, combinations may well be rusty. The side's All Blacks will attend an All Blacks foundation day in Christchurch today.

The Highlanders' final game of the season will be against the Waratahs in Invercargill.

The Waratahs beat the Rebels 20-15 on Friday night in Melbourne to push up to 10th on the table and are in with a sniff. The Waratahs' game against the Brumbies in Sydney on Saturday night is going to be vital.

In effect, the Highlanders will be in a virtual shoot-out over the next two weeks.

The side should welcome back key forwards Liam Squire and Jackson Hemopo, while winger Waisake Naholo will also make an appearance.

The Chiefs, who everyone had written off, are back in with a chance of making the playoffs although it is a slim hope.

The team was down 20-0 early on to the Crusaders in Suva but roared back to record a 40-27 victory.

It is now in ninth on 31 points but has a bye this weekend.

It has one game left to play against the Rebels in Melbourne on June 14.

Last year, the Sharks finished eighth on 36 points, having recorded seven wins and a draw.

The Highlanders can finish on 39 points with two bonus-points wins but, whether that is enough, obviously depends on other results.

What sides make it into the top eight will come down to the final two games of the season - two South African derbies when the Stormers host the Sharks and the Bulls face the Lions in Pretoria, on June 16.

In other results over the weekend, the Brumbies beat the Sunwolves 42-19 in Tokyo, the Jaguares downed the Reds 34-23 in Brisbane, the Hurricanes defeated the Sharks 30-17 in Durban and the Lions beat the Stormers 41-22 in Johannesburg.

 

Add a Comment