Yellow cards and a set piece plagued with issues were the main talking points after the Crusaders avenged their opening-round loss with a 29-18 win in Christchurch on Saturday night.
The Highlanders were unable to take advantage of the home side spending 30 minutes with a man in the bin.
Crusaders hooker Codie Taylor (14th minute) got pinged for a cynical foul on defence, prop Finlay Brewis (37th) recklessly tried to clear out vulnerable debutant Tomas Lavanini at a ruck, and winger Fihaki (59th) saw yellow when he clobbered Cameron Millar in the head.
The latter offence seemed a relatively clear red card under the current laws and it will be a surprise if Fihaki is not cited for further punishment.
Millar and Lavanini both left the game and did not return after HIA tests and are in doubt for Friday night’s home game against the top-of-the-table Hurricanes.
‘‘We’ve got two head knocks, and you don’t get hit in the head unless somebody hits you in the head,’’ Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph said.
‘‘So there’s something going on there.’’
Crusaders coach Rob Penney acknowledged copping three yellow cards was not a good look.
‘‘You get a bit high in your tackle and you’re in trouble,’’ Penney said.
‘‘But we will certainly be focusing on it. It’s not acceptable — 30 minutes down to 14 players. It takes its toll. It’s an area of concern.’’
Joseph was reluctant to highlight his side’s inability to take advantage of playing with an extra man for so long.
‘‘We’re playing a team of 13 All Blacks, and that’s not easy,’’ the Highlanders coach said.
‘‘If I sit here and say, should we beat this team? Well, that would be a good victory for the Highlanders.
‘‘I’m disappointed because we put ourselves in a position to be able to beat the Crusaders, and the boys are pretty upset about that, and so they should be.
‘‘It was a tough game. I felt we set ourselves up well for a positive second half. I thought the players played really well in that first 40 minutes, and when we got opportunities, we showed the rugby we can play.
‘‘But when we came out after halftime, there were a couple of moments where we made soft mistakes, and just let the Crusaders back into the game.
‘‘Unfortunately, we couldn’t go for 80. But I take my hat off to the Crusaders.’’
Veteran Highlanders lock Mitch Dunshea left the game before halftime and has a calf injury.
With star man Fabian Holland missing the season after shoulder surgery, the Highlanders can hardly afford to lose both Dunshea and Lavanini in the second row.
Their troublesome lineout was again a massive issue in the Crusaders game, especially in the first half, when they either lost on their own throw or won it messily.
‘‘We have to fix that up,’’ Joseph said.
‘‘Why is it wobbly? I’m not quite sure. Is it timing, is it lifting?
‘‘I thought, in the end, we got on top of it but then we suffered injuries to our two starting locks.’’
The Highlanders remain seventh in Super Rugby Pacific, a point off the top six.
The Brumbies missed an opportunity to take a handy advantage at the top when they were beaten 42-27 by the resurgent Fijian Drua in Ba, and Reds playmaker Carter Gordon scored a crucial late try to seal a 26-17 win over the Waratahs in Brisbane.
Yesterday, the Blues scored four tries in the second half to beat Moana Pasifika 43-7 at Eden Park.
They led 15-7 at halftime, after Moana played a large spell with 14 men when Augustine Pulu received a 20-minute red card.
