[2015 Super Rugby] Highlanders vs. Reds (Round 3) 27/02/2015

[Jaguares]

1 James Slipper (c)
2 Saia Fainga’a
3 Sam Talakai
4 Dave McDuling
5 Marco Kotze
6 Adam Thomson
7 Liam Gill
8 Jake Schatz
9 Will Genia
10 James O’Connor
11 Chris Feauai-Sautia
12 Anthony Fainga’a
13 Samu Kerevi
14 Chris Kuridrani
15 Lachie Turner

Reserves:

16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Sef Faagase, 19 Tom Murday, 20 Curtis Browning, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Sam Johnson, 23 Campbell Magnay

Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick Off: 19:35 local, 17:35 AEDT, 08:35 SAST
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Ref 1: Kane McBride
Assistant Ref 2: Paul Williams
TMO: Vinny Munro​

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Bad news for the Highlanders with Sopoaga unavailable for this week's match.

It will be interesting to see whether Banks moves from the bench to the starting lineup or if Parker jumps straight in. I'd imagine they'll opt for the latter, I think Banks is being lined up as mainly a fullback option for when Smith needs to be rested.

 

[Jaguares]

Reds:

1 James Slipper (c)
2 Saia Fainga’a
3 Sam Talakai
4 Dave McDuling
5 Marco Kotze
6 Adam Thomson
7 Liam Gill
8 Jake Schatz
9 Will Genia
10 James O’Connor
11 Chris Feauai-Sautia
12 Anthony Fainga’a
13 Samu Kerevi
14 Chris Kuridrani
15 Lachie Turner

16 James Hanson
17 Ben Daley
18 Sef Faagase
19 Tom Murday
20 Curtis Browning
21 Nick Frisby
22 Sam Johnson
23 Campbell Magnay

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Highlanders: Ben Smith (co-captain), Waisake Naholo, Malakai Fekitoa, Jason Emery, Patrick Osborne, Marty Banks, Aaron Smith, Nasi Manu (co-captain), John Hardie, Elliot Dixon, Mark Reddish, Tom Franklin, Ross Geldenhuys, Ash Dixon, Brendon Edmonds. Reserves; Liam Coltman, Josh Hohneck, Ma'afu Fia, Joe Wheeler, Dan Pryor, Fumiaki Tanaka, Hayden Parker, Kurt Baker.

straight into the fire for banks

 

[Hulk Hogan]

Lets see if we can't be inconsistent as usual have a great win one week and then another drubbing the next! woooo

 

[Kiwiwomble]

is that a promise?

 

[Hulk Hogan]

is that a promise?

Richard Graham never lets anyone down! Except Reds Fans.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Really enjoyed that game, lots of running, even if there weren't a lot of points in the match.

Banks was good, I was quite suprised to see him and Smith be subbed.

Also can't believe Ben Smith has played 90 matches!

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Thanks woldog

 

[austingtir]

I quite liked what I saw from the HL in this game. Seems like they could attack the reds at will almost and retain the ball well enough. Still some silly errors like not scoring when they turned down the 3 points when they did that I was thinking here we go again.


James O conner is still a very good player and the Reds as the season goes on are going to knock over some big teams I suspect. I think he needed this game to settle him down.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

these are the player ratings from the ODT, i bit hard on banks, i thought he probably had the best start at 10 at this level we've had

also, as per usual...baker the only one not to play....i don't get not using all your reserves, i fresh pair of legs are almost always good

Ben Smith 6.5/10: Was well-contained on attack, but kicked nicely and had some deft touches coming into the line. Defended well and chased hard.
Waisake Naholo 7.5/10: Looked threatening every time he touched the ball and exploded brilliantly off his left-foot to beat Campbell Magnay in scoring his try. Solid under the high ball and made a timely breakdown steal under pressure after James O'Connor was chased down.
Malakai Fekitoa 7.5/10: Outstanding on defence both in his decision making and execution, while also being a handful on attack despite making a few mistakes.

Jason Emery 6.5/10: Solid on defence and took a few gaps well to threaten. Distributed nicely to the likes of Fekitoa and Naholo.
Patrick Osborne 7/10: Was heavily involved, coming into the line to get his hands on the ball and provide go-forward. Showed a nice piece of footwork at one stage to make a good line break.
Marty Banks 5.5/10: Did not do a lot wrong, but hardly lit the game up either. Mainly looked to distribute or kick and rarely took the ball to the line.
Aaron Smith 7/10: Was fairly lively, passing well and making a few nice kicks from the base. Did an outstanding job in holding up Will Genia to save a try at a crucial stage of the game.
Nasi Manu 6/10: Quiet by his standards, although he did not lack for effort. Ran the ball hard when he got the chance and made a few tackles.
John Hardie 5/10: Another quiet performer after an outstanding game last week. Missed the tackle in a tough situation which led to the Reds try, although ran down James O'Connor to save a possible try earlier.
Elliot Dixon 7/10: Played well in the ranging role Adam Thomson used to fill. Made a series of good runs out wide and tackled well.
Tom Franklin 6/10: Got better as the game went on and was quite prominent defensively in the second half, making a couple of good tackles in the open.
Mark Reddish 6.5/10: Outstanding at lineout time, being the primary target in both the middle and back. Got through some work too and was fairly physical, although made a couple of mistakes.
Ross Geldenhuys 5.5/10: Seemed to be getting picked on a scrum time a bit, but was fairly active on attack and made a few good runs to give the team go-foward.
Ash Dixon 7/10: Hit everything hard and showed great pace in chasing down Will Genia in the first half. Threw well into the lineout too although missed a few tackles.
Brendon Edmunds 5/10: Made a few tackles in close and did a bit of work in the tight but was not overly prominent.
Josh Hohneck 6/10: Came on and did his job throughout the final 30. The scrum seemed to improve after he came on too.
Liam Coltman 6/10: Pretty solid in his 19 minutes, threw well and got involved in the tight.
Ma'afu Fia (No Rating): Certainly looked keen, although got himself offside a couple of times in trying to come up fast. Not on long enough to make an impact, but tried to add something and closed the game out well.
Joe Wheeler: 6.5/10: Made a few tackles including a good one in which he covered Will Genia on one of his snipes from the base. Worked hard and did little wrong.
Dan Pryor: 7/10: Looked dangerous running when he got his hands on the ball out wide and came up with an outstanding turnover minutes after coming on.
Fumiaki Tanaka: 6/10: Passed well and tackled bravely.
Hayden Parker: 7/10: Added an extra dimension on attack through his ability to create and take the ball to the line. Kicked with good distance too.
Kurt Baker: Did not play.

 

[Ossau]

Marty Banks 5.5/10: Did not do a lot wrong, but hardly lit the game up either. Mainly looked to distribute or kick and rarely took the ball to the line.

Not very impressed by Banks but I really enjoyed watching Fekitoa especially on defence as you mentioned!
Do you have some news about Sopoaga?