Player ratings - Highlanders v Sharks

On the back of their first win of the season, ODT Online rugby contributor Jeff Cheshire rates the performance of the Highlanders against the Sharks in Dunedin on Saturday night.

Ben Smith 8/10: Lethal on attack, finding gaps and offloading well. Was the catalyst for the pivotal try which saw the lead extended to 10 points.

Phil Burleigh 6.5/10: Tidy as always, doing little wrong and filling in well out of position.

Tamati Ellison 7/10: Strong in his first game back, making plenty of tackles, running incisively and unloading the ball well in contact on multiple occasions.

Shaun Treeby 7/10: Dangerous on attack, breaking tackles and running at gaps, while also being solid on defence.

Hosea Gear 6.5/10: Had limited chances but looked threatening when he got a go, made a couple of big tackles in including the crucial one to spark the final turnover.

Colin Slade 6.5/10: His general kicking was good as was his defence. Mainly just distributed on attack, while also missing a few kicks at goal.

Aaron Smith 7/10: Was dangerous sniping, passed well and tackled well too. Loses half a mark for a few average kicks in what was otherwise a very good performance.

TJ Ioane 7/10: More of the same from Ioane. Carried strongly, made his tackles and fought for every metre.

John Hardie 7/10: Made a lot of tackles as always, supported well too and made a couple of good runs.

Jarrad Hoeata 6.5/10: Was industrious in the tight, getting through a lot of work and doing his job well.

Josh Bekhuis 6.5/10: Busy around the park and was the best of the lineout jumpers.

Brad Thorn 6.5/10: Brutal on defence and when cleaning out, playing the enforcer role. Loses half a mark for a yellow card at the end which admittedly came in desperate circumstances.

Chris King 7.5/10: Absolutely outstanding, made a truckload of tackles and always seemed to pop up near the action. Was part of a scrum that functioned a lot better this week too.

Andrew Hore 7/10: Another who worked hard and was strong on defence, especially in the first half where he was prominent.

Tony Woodcock 7/10: Finally showed why he has been an All Black for so long, strong when carrying the ball, made an impact in rucks and got the better of Janie du Plessis at scrum time.

Liam Coltman 7/10: Carried on Hore's good work and was one of the key players in the defensive effort in the final 10 minutes.

Ma'afu Fia 6.5/10: Made a couple of good hits and worked hard. The scrum did not lose anything when he replaced Woodcock.

Elliot Dixon 6/10: Came on and made his tackles, but did not get a chance to show off his strong running game.

Joe Wheeler (No Rating): Came on to close the game out and did so well, making a couple of good tackles.

Fumiaki Tanaka (No Rating): Got little chance to do anything in the few minutes he was on.

Hayden Parker (No Rating): Cleared the ball to relieve the pressure after the first of two late assaults on the Highlanders line.

Jason Emery (No Rating): Covered well on defence, saw limited chances on attack in the 12 minutes he was on.

Team Rating 6.5/10: The best performance of the season and consequently the first win. There was some good desperation shown in what was an outstanding defence effort, while the backline and set-piece both functioned better too.