ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders after their nail-biting 35-31 win over the Hurricanes in Dunedin last night.
Ben Smith 8/10: Ran dangerously, particularly on the counter where he made a great break which set up the first try. Kicked well and did some good work under the high ball when chasing.
Richard Buckman 6/10: Did not have an awful lot come his way but was tidy with what he did, making tackles and doing a good job on a dangerous looking Julian Savea.
Malakai Fekitoa 7.5/10: Made 12 tackles and won three turnovers which are impressive stats for a back. Was dangerous with ball in hand and made the read to rush up to force the wider pass which led to Patrick Osborne's intercept try.
Phil Burleigh 6/10: Was tidy on attack and didn't make mistakes, taking good options and putting a couple of good grubber kicks in behind the defence. Made a few good tackles, although fell off a few as well.
Patrick Osborne 7/10: Looked dangerous every time he touched the ball, using his elusiveness and strength to get through defenders. Is good at offloading, although looked to do so every time, which is not always a good thing.
Lima Sopoaga 7.5/10: It was his goal kicking that was crucial in the end, missing just one of his ten shots. Also ran well and did a good job distributing to the men outside him.
Aaron Smith 7/10: Typical sort of Aaron Smith performance, had a fast pass and showed his ability to pass with plenty of width too. Ran a few times well, was the link man in the first try and did a few good box kicks which put the Hurricanes under pressure.
Nasi Manu 8/10: Had another huge game, making plenty of tackles and hit hard in most of them. Was strong carrying the ball too and kept on going for the whole game.
Shane Christie 9/10: Was everywhere. Made an unreal 27 tackles, while also snaffling ball at the breakdown and doing well to slow the Hurricanes ball down. Had a few nice runs too, while also being fast to shut down the inside channel from set-piece.
Elliot Dixon 6/10: Pretty solid, worked hard for 63 minutes and did not do a lot wrong. Made nine tackles and a few runs.
Joe Wheeler 7/10: Another who racked up plenty of tackles (16), while missing none. Was a good option in the middle and at the back of the lineout too, an area that is beginning to look more assured.
Brad Thorn 6.5/10: Was strong in contact, both on attack and defence, making a couple of big tackles.
Ma'afu Fia 4.5/10: Had a quiet game, struggled against Ben Franks in the scrum and was not as prominent as he can be in the open. Was pulled at half time for Chris King.
Liam Coltman 6/10: Got around the field and made a few tackles, but was pulled at half time along with Fia.
Kane Hames 6.5/10: Toiled away all night on defence and his side of the scrum held up better than the other.
Ged Robinson 7/10: Was highly involved after coming on at halftime, made a handful of good runs and made plenty of tackles too. He might be worth a start in the coming weeks.
Matias Diaz 5/10: Made one good run towards the end, but goes a bit high on defence and tended to stand quite wide in the line.
Chris King 6.5/10: A typical performance from a consistent hard worker, made his tackles, popped up around the field and was energetic coming on at half time.
Jarrad Hoeata 5/10: Was perhaps a bit unlucky to be sin-binned so did not get as much time to make an impact.
TJ Ioane 8/10: Made a huge impact when he came on and probably could have come on ten minutes earlier. Got over the ball at the breakdown well and made 11 tackles in 17 minutes.
Fumiaki Tanaka 6.5/10: Provided good service to the backs and defended courageously.
Hayden Parker 4.5/10: Did not get much of a chance as the side was defending for much of the time he was on. The drop kick though was awful, both in the thinking and execution, directly leading to giving the Hurricanes a sniff.
Shaun Treeby 6/10: Carried on from what Burleigh did and was pretty solid, crashing the ball up well a couple of times and making his tackles.
