ODT Online rugby contributor Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders after their 24-8 loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch last night.
Ben Smith 7.5/10: Outstanding on defence while also looking dangerous when he touched the ball. It was not a great night to be an outside back, but Smith flourished when he got his chances.
Tony Ensor 5/10: Looked out of his depth at this level at this early stage of his career, missing a few too many tackles and seeing little chances on attack. Undoubtedly he will get better.
Jason Emery 6/10: Made his tackles and was half of a superb try-saving effort in the first half. Did not see a lot of ball but ran hard at the defence when he did.
Ma'a Nonu 6.5/10: Absolutely outstanding defensively, tackling well and often. He loses half a mark for two costly dropped balls on attack.
Hosea Gear 6/10: Had little to do, which was not his fault for the most part as the ball just did not go his way. Made a good run the one time he did get the ball in space.
Hayden Parker 6/10: Another who had little to work with, as the conditions saw most attacking ball went to the forward runners. He did not do much wrong though, so he gets pass mark.
Aaron Smith 6.5/10: Had a couple of standout moments, in particular an outstanding long pass for the only try and snaffling a turnover under the nose of Andy Ellis at the scrum
TJ Ioane 7/10: Looked to get his hands on the ball often on attack, running strongly and fighting his way through the tackle, while also looking good on defence.
John Hardie 6.5/10: Kept tackling the whole game and was one of the standouts in a great defensive effort.
Jarrad Hoeata 6/10: Made his tackles and got involved. The tight nature of the game suited him and enabled him to play like a third lock in the No. 6 jersey.
Josh Bekhuis 5.5/10: Did his job around the field, but was part of a dysfunctional lineout which the key players need to take some responsibility for.
Brad Thorn 6/10: Threw himself into everything in a typical no-nonsense Brad Thorn way, but another who struggled at the lineout against the very good Crusaders locks.
Chris King 5.5/10: Made his tackles, but was part of a scrum which was bullied which prevented the Highlanders mounting any sort of attack.
Andrew Hore 6/10: Outstanding in general play, making
Tony Woodcock 5.5/10: Like the other forwards was strong tackling around the fringes, but like King, has to take some responsibility for a faltering scrum.
Liam Coltman 5.5/10: Got stuck in when he came on and kept up the defensive intensity. The set-piece did not improve upon his introduction though.
Ma'afu Fia 5.5/10: Probably the best of the props in general play, but again loses marks for a poor set-piece.
Jamie Mackintosh 5.5/10: Came on late and got involved but it was a tough game for one player to come on and make on impact in.
Elliot Dixon 6/10: Another who had a tough time trying to make an impact. He made his tackles, but not really the type of game that allowed him the show off his strong running game.
Fumiaki Tanaka (No rating): Got the last couple of minutes and did not get a chance to do much.
Colin Slade 6/10: Was tidy after replacing Parker with 20 to go.
Jake Parangatai (No rating): Came on for the last few minutes.
Team Rating 5/10: It was an outstanding defensive effort, holding the Crusaders to just two tries despite being under pressure for nearly the whole game. This was reflected in the ratings, with everyone getting credit for what was really a team effort.
The problem was this was all they did, the whole game. They failed to get their hands on the ball enough and when they did they did not retain it, while the set-piece was abysmal, getting bullied at scrum time and looking disorganised at the lineout. Top marks for defence, but they fall short of a pass mark due to their attack.
