Do not underestimate the Lions
Lima Sopoaga said in yesterday's Otago Daily Times the Highlanders were wary of the Lions. That is a good way to be. This team are looking more and more like the real deal. For 11 seasons in a row they finished in the bottom three of the competition, before being relegated out of Super Rugby for a year in 2013. They came back with a bang and in 2015 they won nine games to finish eighth. This season they have claimed two scalps on the road and they play an attractive brand of expansive rugby, which should make for an entertaining contest against a Highlanders team who will likely play the same way.
Scramble and reset
The Lions have plenty of attacking threats and are dangerous in open play. Capable of breaking tackles and offloading well, they are likely to force you to scramble at some point. Just how well you scramble, and then respond, is key. The Highlanders did it efficiently last week. Having terriers such as Malakai Fekitoa and Ben Smith in the backs, as well as a mobile forward pack, allowed them to cover players who broke away. Teams will often get exposed with a disorganised defensive line from there, but the Highlanders are good at getting back and resetting quickly. Aaron Smith directs the defence with urgency and the forwards usually get back in plenty of time. From there it is a case of being patient in picking the right moment to contest the ball. Everyone has their breaking point, but doing this well forces opponents to be very good to score.
Hold on to the ball
Last week the Highlanders often went wide early and looked to break through, before coming back and using forward runners, or crashing in the midfield in the following phases. It did not always work though and a lot of mistakes were made. When they did score, it came after a patient build-up on the back of a Fekitoa break. Perhaps that is a better way to play, rather than trying to force things. You can manipulate the defence by attacking close in and going forward, which when done well brings defenders in closer and can open up space out wider. However, the Lions have shown their ability to absorb pressure on defence and will not fall over easily.
Target the new midfield combination
The Lions have lost both Harold Vorster and Lionel Mapoe for this week, their starting midfield in their win against the Chiefs. It is true that the Highlanders have now lost two second five-eighths, but the midfield remains a strength with Fekitoa involved. He was outstanding last week and not only poses a threat with the ball, but reads the play well on defence and tackles aggressively. Putting a young and new midfield combination under pressure would seem like a smart move to try to force them into making some mistakes. If they can get turnover ball from there, the Highlanders can be lethal.
Make use of counterattacking ball
One of the Highlanders' greatest strengths is their ability to go from being rock solid on defence to lethal on attack with the flick of a switch. They are particularly good on the counterattack, although their chances to make use of this could be limited, as the Lions have not kicked much so far this year. At Forsyth Barr Stadium, in dry conditions, you can expect that will not change, meaning the Highlanders will have to make the most of what ball they do get to counter with.
Execute at set-piece
If the Lions don't kick much, set-piece will become an even more important source of possession and if the Highlanders don't get it right, ball could be hard to come by. The Highlanders' scrum was impressive last week and remained so when changes were made. That was encouraging, particularly given they put in dominant shoves on both their own feed and their opponent's. At lineout time they were generally good and used both five and seven man set-ups, often throwing further back to get the backs ball wider out and in more space. If they look to drive they will have to do it well, with the Lions having proven to be strong at defending the maul.
