Player ratings - Highlanders v Brumbies

Hosea Gear
Hosea Gear
ODT rugby contributor Jeff Cheshire rates the Highlanders on their performance after the 30-19 loss to the Brumbies in Dunedin.

Ben Smith 5.5/10: Had a quiet game, but was reasonably tidy for the most part at the back.

Kade Poki 5.5/10: Had limited chances, but made a good break and snaffled a turnover on defence before having to leave the field with injury.

Phil Burleigh 5.5/10: Another who did not get a lot of chances due to the rushed Brumbies defence. Was solid though and did not do much wrong.

Ma'a Nonu 6/10: Worked very hard on defence making plenty of tackles in the midfield and made a couple of good runs on attack.

Hosea Gear 4/10: Just had one of those nights, notably dropped a high ball and fell off a tackle which led to the first try. Was well contained with ball in hand by an outstanding defence.

John Hardie
John Hardie
Hayden Parker 6.5/10: Took the ball to the line and looked good running, while also kicking well. A very good debut and definitely worth another start next week.

Fumiaki Tanaka 6.5/10: Fired his passes quickly but was more noticeable on defence where he made some good tackles and disrupted the opposition ball well.

Mose Tuialii 6/10: Had a generally strong game, running hard and tackling well. Loses marks for a costly dropped high ball and a couple of scrum infringements which ultimately gave up ten points.

John Hardie 6.5/10: Made a lot of tackles while also linking well and making a few breaks.

TJ Ioane 7/10: Went looking for the action on attack and defence, making an impact in every tackle and fighting hard for every metre with ball in hand.

Fumiaka Tanaka
Fumiaka Tanaka
Jarrad Hoeata 5.5/10: Got through his work and looked better back at lock.

Brad Thorn 6.5/10: Another typical Brad Thorn performance, physical at the contact situations and getting into everything.

Ma'afu Fia 6/10: Good around the park, making his tackles and getting to plenty of rucks.

Andrew Hore 5.5/10: Had a good game in general, but loses a mark for a couple of mistakes including two stray lineout throws in the first half.

Jamie Mackintosh 6/10: Popped up around the field, running the ball and making some good aggressive tackles.

Liam Coltman: Did not play.

Chris King 5.5/10: Came on five minutes into the second half and worked hard in the tight.

Josh Bekhuis 6.5/10: The lineout looked more organised once he came on, while also being busy in general play.

Elliot Dixon (No Rating): Got 14 minutes in which he did not do a lot wrong, but did not make a huge impact either.

Aaron Smith 6.5/10: Added spark with a noticeably longer pass than Tanaka and sniped well to score the only try.

Colin Slade: Did not play.

Jason Emery 5.5/10: Another who did not see a lot of ball, but made a couple of breaks when it did go his way.

Team Rating 4.5/10: What individual player ratings do not show is the performance of the team as a whole. They did not gel well and looked flat as a collective until the last 20 minutes. Too many mistakes and not enough creativity along with an outstanding opposition paved way for possibly the worst performance of the season thus far.

Add a Comment

OUTSTREAM