Rugby: Key points - Highlanders v Waratahs

The Highlanders competed well against the Waratahs in the lineout. Photo Reuters
The Highlanders competed well against the Waratahs in the lineout. Photo Reuters

ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire identifies the key points from the Highlanders' Super 15 semifinal win over the Waratahs on Saturday night.

Kick, chase and take chances

It was obvious that the Highlanders were employing the tactic of pinning the Waratahs inside their own 22 and applying pressure through a strong kick chase. Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith and Ben Smith were all outstanding in finding space in behind the Waratahs' defensive line, forcing them to turn around and try to clear. They struggled with this, as the Highlanders' chasing was so good. The likes of Waisake Naholo, Patrick Osborne and Malakai Fekitoa got up quickly to shut down the space the Waratahs had to work with. The Waratahs' counterattack was smothered every time they tried it and they struggled to clear the ball effectively. With the lineout operating so well there was always the chance the Highlanders might get the ball back if they found touch anyway. This allowed the Highlanders to kick confidently and play the game at the right end of park, which gave them a handful of chances which they took. Despite all the kicking, it is not as if they were playing negative rugby and just looking for penalties, they still scored five good tries.

Key moments

The first half was fairly tight and you always got the feeling that the second half could come down to a few key moments. Sometimes though you cannot wait for these moments, you have to go out and create them, just as the Highlanders did. Waisake Naholo's chip and chase try was a piece of individual brilliance that seemed improbable, while the penalty try came from a great read, throwing a flat pass to a wide ball runner most defences would not have covered. It was this that forced the Waratahs to scramble and created the situation in which they put themselves in a position where a penalty try was a possiblity. Those two moments, which came within a few minutes of each other, were crucial for the Highlanders. In contrast the Waratahs hardly created any moments such as these for themselves.

Tight five

We say this every week, but the tight five was once again absolutely outstanding. Once again they went up against a bigger, more experienced pack and once again they got the better of them. As a unit they operate well. Their speed around the park is fantastic and allows them to get into positions to make an impact on the game. They are a group who will do something and then get back up quickly and do something else. You always see two or three of them crop up almost instantly in support at the breakdown and on defence they just tackle and tackle. Their physical and relentless approach saw the big Waratahs tight five become a non-factor, which really stifled their game. Along with all that, they can scrum and they are good in the lineout. The North Island media might call them a pack of no-names, but at the moment they are playing as well as anyone in the competition.

Team performance

For the second week in a row you can credit the all round performance of the whole team for such a dominant performance. It is important to turn up in big games and the Highlanders have certainly done that. They had an obvious game plan and within that, there was no one you would not say was outstanding. The tight five worked hard, as did the loose forward trio, while the backs implemented the kick and chase with great success. On attack they took their chances too and as a group they tackled ferociously. Remember too, this was not a second-string Blues team they were playing. This was the defending champions on their home ground. To win so emphatically the week after such a big effort at home is massive and that achievement should not be underestimated.

Defensive line speed

Much like in their kick chase, the Highlanders' defensive tactics were clearly to get up fast and shut down the Waratahs' space, preventing their forwards from getting any steam up. They did this well and maintained the same high intensity throughout the game, which is something few teams can do as most do not have the level of fitness of this Highlanders team. It was evident every time the Waratahs got the ball and unsurprisingly, the try they did score came when they looked to chip in behind the line when the Highlanders were defending narrowly. Other than this and a few inevitable offsides, the tactic worked well and the Waratahs did not cope well with the added pressure.

Lineout dominance

The Waratahs' lineout was horrible, but give the Highlanders some credit. On the Waratahs' throw they got up well and made steals in different positions, while also tidying up lineout ball that was overthrown. It was not just one player either, we saw Mark Reddish, Alex Ainley, Gareth Evans and Joe Wheeler all grab steals, while Nasi Manu and Liam Coltman both nabbed overthrows. Having so many threats in competing jumpers must make them a tough lineout to come up against. Likewise on attack they were solid, with Coltman hitting the jumper and making two exceptionally tough throws over the top to Naholo running through. Perhaps this all bodes well for next week - the Hurricanes' lineout has been poor this year and will be an area the Highlanders will look to target.

Lack of threat from Waratahs

For all of their size and big names, the Waratahs have not offered a lot in their two games against the Highlanders this year. Their forwards have looked big, slow, cumbersome and have lacked any sort of explosiveness or spark after the first 25 minutes. They have struggled to keep up with a Highlanders pack which plays with far more physicality, speed and possesses the ability to create impact plays at any stage of the game. In the backs it was much the same. They threw some terrible passes, dropped a lot of ball and were shut down by a rock solid Highlanders defence every time they tried to run. Perhaps the week off hindered them, either way there was no way they were going to win a semi-final playing the way they did, particularly in the second half where they did not fire a shot.

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