Ben Smith 7/10: Outstanding on defence, bailing the team out more than once, while also being safe under the high ball. Did not get a lot of chances on attack but made the best of what he got.
Kade Poki 7.5/10: Another top performance from arguably the Highlanders best player so far this season. Made some good runs, finding gaps in the defence and breaking through tackles.
Jason Emery 6.5/10: Ran bravely and did not shy away from contact. Worked hard to get back and help clean up as well when the ball went in behind. Other than a couple of missed tackles did not do much wrong.
Ma'a Nonu 5.5/10: Had a fairly quiet game, although this was not all his fault as the ball just did not go to him at times. Defended well, making a try saving tackle and generally stopped Tim Nanai-Williams wrecking havoc.
Hosea Gear 6.5/10: Did not see a lot of ball but made the most of it when he did with a couple of devastating runs.
Colin Slade 5/10: Similar to Nonu in that he had a quiet game on attack, mainly distributing. He tackled okay, but missed three of his four kicks, which were in the end crucial.
Aaron Smith 5.5/10: A mixed bag, running well early on and looking dangerous. Threw some average passes but it must be remembered he had to deal with some messy ball as he was behind a forward pack that was not offering much protection.
John Hardie 6/10: Another typical performance from Hardie, getting his hands on the ball a lot and looking to tackle.
Jarrad Hoeata 5/10: Was sin-binned after a reckless tackle on Aaron Cruden, which was a momentum killer after a long period of sustained attack. Was alright otherwise, but the yellow card really was a turning point.
Josh Bekhuis 5/10: Still was not winning his lineout ball, which is not necessarily completely fault, but as this is one of his main attributes this needs fixing. Dropped the ball that led to the Tim Nanai-Williams try which was costly too.
Brad Thorn 6/10: Hit everything hard as always and kept going the whole game. Was the best option at lineout time, although it must be remembered he was jumping at the front.
Chris King 6.5/10: Was good at scrum time while also popping up around the field and getting involved. Solid performance in his 100th game Super 15 game.
Liam Coltman 6.5/10: Other than a few bad lineout throws Coltman did not do much wrong. He tackled well and was very good at breakdown time. The scrum was stronger while he was on the park too.
Jason Rutledge 5.5/10: Did well considering how long it has been since he last played a game of rugby. Did not have the same impact as Coltman though which was missed in the last 20.
Bronson Murray 5/10: Not as strong at the set-piece which saw the scrum in particular weaken later in the game.
Joe Wheeler 5.5/10: Came on and worked hard, which is not necessarily what you are looking for off the bench as you really need these men to make an impact. That said, he tackled and got to plenty of rucks, something that was not happening to great effect earlier.
Tim Boys 5/10: Tackled well as always, but made a few basic mistakes which he will want to cut out of his game.
Frae Wilson (No Rating): Provided good service with a fast pass in his Super 15 debut. Did not look out of place and will no doubt get a longer run at some stage this season.
Lima Sopoaga (No Rating): Threw a couple of nice passes that put players into gaps but did not get much of a chance to really impress.
Phil Burleigh (No Rating): Looked dangerous, making a couple of breaks in the short time he was on the field. Could have come on earlier.
