Opportunistic tries blew game open
Two opportunistic tries in two minutes blew the game open for the Highlanders, who amassed 14 points just after the break to take the score from 10-3 to 24-3. That was the game then and there, though. Up until that point the Highlanders had looked threatening, but at 10-3 it was still up for grabs.
The try off the quick lineout, with Aaron Smith hitting the ball at pace, showed great awareness and quick-thinking, along with the speed of Ben Smith. It could be argued the intercept was more lucky. However, the Highlanders defence often revolves around applying pressure and reading the attack to take calculated gambles, which contributed to Matt Faddes picking off the pass.
Outstanding defence
The Lions did not offer a lot on attack, but when they did the Highlanders shut them down quickly and ensured they never got any momentum. They showed great line speed and tackled with aggression, as the Lions used a plethora of forward runners who rarely got any go-forward. When they went wide, or looked to have space, the Highlanders swarmed on them to make the tackle, often forcing a mistake or grabbing a turnover in the process.
The Highlanders looked to apply pressure, reading the attack and meeting the receiver as he caught the ball. From there they would flick a switch and attack dangerously while the defence wasn't set. When the Lions did cross in the first half, Malakai Fekitoa did exceptionally well, for a second week in a row, to keep the ball off the ground and deny them the try. Later in the game, after changes had been made, a few holes opened up and the Lions crossed twice, but the strong effort in the first half and first 20 minutes of the second half was key.
Uneven scrums
Early on it looked as though the Highlanders' scrum would be dominant. The first three certainly were. From there they became messy, as they can when they are uneven. As the dominant scrum looks to push through, the weaker one will try to do whatever they can to disrupt the push, rather than just trying to push back themselves. The result tends to be a lot of resets and penalties, which is what we got. Notably when Brendon Edmonds was taken off the scrum came under pressure. Aside from all that though, it was encouraging to see some very good shoves after doing the same thing at times last week.
Attacking wide early from lineout
The Highlanders looked to go wide early off lineouts, then try to come back the other way and work their way into space afterwards. They would get it to Fekitoa or Patrick Osborne on the far wing off the set-piece, sometimes with some deception in closer, and they would take it up hard. They are both capable of breaking tackles to create something, but at worst they give you go-forward in contact. From there they would work their way back, usually with a couple of forward runners bringing play into midfield. Then they would look for quicker ball and spread it wider while still going the same way. It has its positives and it forces the defence to reorganise laterally, while also hopefully going backwards. However it relies on the ball getting wide and being retained in the ruck without a mistake being made, which does not always happen.
Short, straight kick-off
At kick-off time the Highlanders put away the longer kick they have been using in recent weeks, opting for a short one which could be contested with aggression. Lima Sopoaga would kick straight and not too high. That allowed the chasers, namely Ben Smith, to reach the ball as it reached the 10m line and contest possession. They did well in this regard and were able to win the ball back.
No bonus point
In any other season, the Highlanders would have received five competition points for this win. This year they get four. That is a result of the new law, which states a team must score three more tries than their opposition to get the extra point. They scored four tries, but the Lions scored two, so would have needed two more tries, or to have stopped the Lions scoring, to get the bonus point. The standard has been raised and it has its merits. Now you have to have positive intent on attack, but remain strong on defence. It is different, but it should theoretically reward teams which bring an all-round game, rather than just an attacking one.
Hard-working forward pack
A good performance from the forwards can sometimes fly under the radar, but the Highlanders pack deserves plenty of credit for this game. Not only did they tackle well, they got around the field quickly and provided strong ball protection. In the loose they were dynamic, while in the tight they were rock solid and just got the job done. That gave the backs the platform from which they were able to be so lethal.
Unnecessary kicks
Some of the Highlanders' kicking options were not the best. Kicking has its place, although you have to question whether this team should be doing it as much as they did in a game like this. They are lethal with ball in hand, even with all their missing players. The forward pack gets them front-foot ball, the inside backs are great distributors and creators, while those further out can be hard to stop when running at an unorganised defence. But they don't do it enough. Even when Faddes scored off Sopoaga's grubber, it was probably not the right option - more times than not that play will not come off.
Did travel catch up to Lions?
The Lions were on the final weekend of a three-game overseas road trip to start the season. After looking good in winning their first two games, they offered little last night. They held the ball for long periods, without doing anything that threatened to break the Highlanders' defence. On defence they were not horrible and scrambled well several times, but were unable to keep out the Highlanders when they decided to really go. They were missing the midfield from last week, which did not help. But perhaps it was just a case of the travel taking its toll, particularly after such a big performance last week.
