Otago Daily Times Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire looks at some key points from the Highlanders' 27-3 win over the Rebels last night.
Brilliant defence
What more is there left to be said about the Highlanders' defence? They have been outstanding in this area in their four wins, aside from the end of last week's game. This week they held the Rebels to three points, despite having to make a lot of tackles in the second half. It did not matter though, the Highlanders got up fast and prevented the Rebels from going anywhere. The linespeed was fantastic once again, as was the physicality and accuracy in making the tackle. They made some intelligent reads at times when they were under pressure, then reset fast to ensure they got themselves organised again. The result was no way through for the Rebels, who ended up being forced into making too many mistakes.
Kick chase
The Highlanders' kick chase has become a feature of their game in recent years and last night it saw them score two tries. Rob Thompson was prominent in both, the first seeing him toe ahead a dropped high ball and go onto score. Later on he chased a grubber from Lima Sopoaga, getting a leg to the ball and allowing Jack Wilson to dive on it over the line. It is a simple thing, but you cannot overlook the effectiveness of a good kick chase.
Ground cutting up
The turf was cutting up badly at scrum time, which had to be a worry for the players. There were far too many scrum resets in this game and you have to think the turf had something to do with them. While the referee remarked that not all of them were a result of the ground, it could still have had an influence. It is harder to gain traction when packed down with the field in that condition, which would mean the players had to focus more on staying on their feet. The flow-on of this is that it could result in other things slipping further to the back of the mind, while also making it harder to get a good push on, which has flow-on effects too. Scrums are difficult to set at the best of times, physics dictates that. Add in an unstable surface and you are going to struggle.
Lineout looking polished
The Highlanders' lineout is starting to look polished, operating well to all areas. At the front they hit the jumper consistently, getting up fast and explosively, while in the middle they were similar. Further back the throw, which is not easy on a back lob, was on the money and gave good attacking ball to the backs. Going even further, they went right over the top to a back running onto the ball twice and hit the man both times. Jumping-wise they have multiple options, meaning they go to different areas depending on how the opposition matches up, while the lifters are doing their job well. That makes them harder to read and therefore harder to compete against. Having that security means they are not only more assured of possession, it makes teams think twice about kicking the ball out against them. That can result in more kicks in-field to counter from, or less kicks into touch in behind the line, which means less pressure applied through that method.
Box kick
Both teams looked to kick from the base, relying on a strong chase to apply pressure. The Highlanders did this better than the Rebels though, with Aaron Smith getting the ball into the box behind the ruck and giving the chasers a chance to contest the ball. While they did not always get it back, it was something the Rebels did not handle well at times, which led to the Highlanders' first try. The Rebels tried the same tactic, but kicked a lot deeper, meaning the Highlanders were under less pressure on the reception and had time to run or kick back.
