Caleb Tangitau is an established star and the Highlanders might have unearthed another one after a bizarre Super Rugby game tonight.
The clash with Moana Pasifika had a quarter to play when there was a delay of about 40 minutes due to a power outage at North Harbour Stadium.
That was bad enough, but when play resumed, Sky Sport had no coverage of the game.
The stuff Highlanders fans saw was mostly pretty good.
Tangitau was at his lethal best as the Highlanders bounced back from the second-heaviest defeat in their history with a morale-boosting 39-19 demolition of Moana Pasifika.
The dazzling winger scored two tries in the first half with his elite finishing and won the second-half kick-off to set up a try after just 14sec.
Nic Shearer, the Stags No 9, made a spectacular debut in Super Rugby.
He set up two tries, scored the aforementioned second-half opener, and impressed with his drive and attacking spark.
Add in a blessedly trouble-free lineout and this convincing win was the perfect way for the Highlanders to go into the Easter bye, even if they did not play nearly as well in the second half, or at least the bits we saw.
The first half was all about Tangitau and Moana Pasifika’s discipline.
One of those things was not like the other.
While Tangitau was all searing accuracy and impeccable lines, the home side let themselves down badly with their sloppiness on and off the ball.
A staggering halftime penalty count of 9-0 in favour of the Highlanders suggested Moana were lucky indeed not to have a player shown a yellow card.
Tangitau got the scoring rolling when he came off his wing and smashed through a tackler for his fifth try of the season.
He looked to be over again in the 20th minute but he knocked on in the tackle.
No matter — eight minutes later, Shearer made a little dart and fed Tangitau, again floating on the opposite wing, for his second.
Jona Nareki must have been feeling left out as he almost singlehandedly engineered the Highlanders’ third try.
After nailing a 50-22, he was the beneficiary of a nice Shearer step and pass, and ran a nice angle to the line.
The Highlanders completed the first-half rout when hooker Jack Taylor barrelled over from a 5m lineout.
Scoring four tries in the first 40 was positive enough but the Highlanders would also have been feeling buoyant about their excellent defence, albeit against a Moana side showing little penetration.
The lineout was absolutely perfect, too, a nice pick-me-up for Taylor and his team-mates after a difficult few weeks, while the other player to impress was all-action midfielder Tanielu Tele’a.
Tangitau’s instinct helped him scoop up the second-half kick-off, and after Tele’a ran strongly, Shearer was right there to mark his debut with a try.
Moana had their moment when Niko Jones scored from a lineout move.
But their shocking discipline came back into play when outside backs William Havili (head contact) and Glen Vaihu (cynical foul) were sin-binned within five minutes.
The Highlanders duly profited against 13 men, scoring through Veveni Lasaqa, but they messed up the kick-off and conceded a soft try to Moana hooker Millennium Sanerivi.
Then chaos ensued.
Moana scored ANOTHER short-handed try, one of the light towers went out, and bang . . . television coverage went dark as the ground lost its power.
The game resumed 40 minutes later, sans TV coverage.
Looks like not much else happened.
The Highlanders made two late changes with star men Ethan de Groot, whose wife Claudia gave birth to a daughter on Thursday, and Timoci Tavatavanawai (foot) ruled out.
Fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens left the game at halftime after rolling his ankle.
The scores
Highlanders 39 Caleb Tangitau 2, Jona Nareki, Jack Taylor, Nic Shearer, Veveni Lasaqa tries; Reesjan Pasitoa 3 con, pen
Moana Pasifika 19 Niko Jones, Millennium Sanerivi, Allan Craig tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 con
Halftime: Highlanders 27-0.
