Preview: Waratahs v Highlanders
SUPER RUGBY QUARTERFINAL: The Highlanders are playing for more than just a place in the semifinals.
They are hoping to extend the stay of All Black Lima Sopoaga at the franchise.
This could well be the last game for the departing flyhalf, Sopoaga, will head over to the London-based Wasps at the end of the season.
Sopoaga, who currently holds the Highlanders record for most points scored in a season (191 points in 2015) and has accumulated a total of 840 points for the franchise (825 Super Rugby points) over 90 games (88 Super Rugby games), wants to finish 2018 on a high.
They are up against a Waratahs team that has some question marks over their potential to go all the way.
Not only does the Tahs come off a loss to the Brumbies last week, but they have only beaten one top-eight team all year.
That, ironically, was the Highlanders – when the Waratahs won 41-12 in Sydney back in May.
Waratahs forward Ned Hanigan admitted the Highlanders’ style – which he referred to as “organised chaos” – is a major threat.
Hanigan missed the Waratahs’ win over the Highlanders earlier in the season, but was well aware of the threats the Kiwi team posed.
“They are very good at reacting to things that their backfield create, forwards included,” he told AAP.
“They move the ball around and I think they will probably look to have us moving about a fair bit and organised chaos is their game and they are good at it.”
Hanigan admitted it wasn’t an easy style to counter.
“It is hard, because they are creating situations that are a little bit unorthodox particularly from set piece,” Hanigan said.
“I guess we’ve just got to be really good in our transition speed especially, making sure that attack to defence, back to attack, is just really fast.
“So blokes are really reactive and it comes down to just picking the right options at the right time.”
Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger suggested his team will be underdogs, but felt they have the potential to cause an upset.
“These are the opportunities the guys work hard all year for and there are no second chances,” Mauger told the Otago Daily Times.”
“It’s simply about putting our best performance on the field on Saturday.
“The Waratahs are a quality side playing at home which presents an awesome challenge for our guys, but like I said, these are the games we love to play.”
The compliments flowed in both directions.
Tahs coach Daryl Gibson also described the Highlanders as a “very clever team”, which tries different stuff and is exciting to watch.
“A lot of our preparation has been about how to prevent that,” the New Zealander said of his compatriots.
“We have an excellent attack and for us, we need to ensure that our defence is solid and making sure that we don’t concede tries as well,” Gibson added
Recent results:
2018: Waratahs won 41-12, Sydney
2017: Highlanders won 44-28, Dunedin
2016: Highlanders won 30-26, Sydney
2015: Highlanders won 35-17, Sydney (semifinal)
2015: Highlanders won 26-19, Dunedin
2014: Waratahs won 44-16, Sydney
2012: Highlanders won 18-17, Dunedin
2011: Waratahs won 33-7, Sydney
2010: Highlanders won 26-10, Invercargill
2009: Waratahs won 34-16, Sydney
Prediction: The Waratahs picked up a 41-12 victory when these teams met earlier in the season, their biggest ever win against the Highlanders, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Dunedin outfit. The New South Wales squad have won four of their last five finals games played on home soil; however, their only defeat in that span came in 2015 against the Highlanders. The Highlanders have won eight of their last 10 games played in Australia, including wins in their only two previous finals game in the country. The Waratahs average 35 points per game this season, the most of any team; however, they’ve scored 35+ points in just one of their last 11 games against New Zealand opposition, which was also their only win in that span. Tevita Li has crossed for a try in each of his last two games against Australian opposition, and has scored three tries in his last four games overall. This may well be the only away win for the weekend. The Highlanders certainly have the best chance of an ‘upset’ and we feel they will win by eight points.
Teams:
Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Alex Newsome, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Bernard Foley (captain), 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Will Miller, 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Brad Wilkin, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Cameron Clark, 23 Bryce Hegarty.
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Teihorangi Walden, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 James Lentjes, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Jackson Hemopo, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown.
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon (co-captain), 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Kalolo Tuiloma, 19 Shannon Frizell, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Matt Faddes.
Date: Saturday, July 21
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 20.05 (22.05 NZ time; 10.05 GMT)
Expected weather: Plenty of sunshine. High of 17°C and a low of 6°C
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Will Houston (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
Compiled by Jan de Koning
@king365ed
@rugby365com
* Statistics provided by Opta Sports
