Little change for Landers as coach keeps faith

Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph has kept the faith as he seeks to get his team back on track in Perth this weekend.

Joseph has made just one change to the starting XV that looked so good in patches last Friday before falling to a 34-27 loss to the Brumbies, the team’s third consecutive Super Rugby Pacific defeat.

All Blacks prop Ethan de Groot makes a welcome return to the scrum after a relatively quiet start to the season was followed by a week off.

He replaces fellow loosehead Daniel Lienert-Brown, who has returned to New Zealand with a minor injury.

The naming of an unchanged backline for Saturday night's game in Perth appears to firm up a few things.

Nathan Hastie, in his breakthrough season, is now unquestionably the No 1 halfback; Taine Robinson is Joseph’s preferred first five, even after making several kicking errors last week; Timoci Tavatavanawai will be staying at second five; and new sensation Caleb Tangitau must be the first name on the team sheet.

There are two tweaks on the bench.

Jack Taylor replaces Henry Bell as reserve hooker, and flying winger Michael Manson - who started two of the first three games - replaces Ajay Faleafaga.

That means fullback Sam Gilbert, whose two Super Rugby starts in the No 10 jersey came in 2022, is the cover for Robinson at first five.

Joseph has backed a revitalised de Groot to help bolster a Highlanders scrum that has battled a little in recent weeks.

‘‘Ethan’s plan is a little bit different to our other players, simply because he’s our only All Black.

‘‘Last week, we gave him a chance to get over a few niggles, get some fitness under his belt, and make an impact this week against the Force.’’

Joseph said co-captain Hugh Renton, who is on tour with the Highlanders, was still not quite right to play as he battled a groin issue.

Sean Withy remains at No 8 and the exciting Veveni Lasaqa gets another opportunity at openside after impressing last week.

‘‘Veveni’s just getting started. First year in the team, heaps of potential. He’ll just keep getting better, I think.’’

The Highlanders need a victory to avoid falling dangerously behind in the playoff race.

But Joseph is staying calm and backing his team to keep developing.

‘‘Our preparation doesn’t alter too much,’’ he said.

‘‘We just need to eliminate our errors and get our scrum right. The Force are very confident, I think. They’ve had some really good wins against good teams.
‘‘But we’re coming together nicely on tour, and it’s going to be a good match.’’

All four of the Highlanders losses this season have been close - by one, two, six and seven points.

That could be seen as pleasing, as it shows they are competitive with any team, or possibly frustrating, as it suggests an inability to close out close games.

‘‘It’s a little bit frustrating, obviously, because they were all winnable performances,’’ Joseph said.

‘‘While the point margin is very tight, and it comes down to crucial moments, we’re a very young team and we’ve got to learn how to turn those moments into winning performances.’’