Highlanders v Crusaders
-
-
My predicted lineup would look something like this. A number of key guys were gassed last week and we need to be rotating players.
- Ethan De Groot
- Soanne Vikenna
- Saula Ma'au
- Mitchell Dunshea
- Oli Haig
- TK Howden
- Sean Withy
- Hugh Renton
- Folau Fakatava
- Cam Millar
- Sam Gilbert
- Thomas Umunga Jensen
- Tanelea Telea
- Caleb Tangitau
- Jacob Kneepkins
- Jack Taylor
- Daniel Lienert Brown
- Sefo Kauitau
- Will Stodart / Fabian Holland
- Veveni Lasanga
- Nathan Hastie
- Taine Robinson
- Timcoi T / Jonah Lowe
We need more balance to our backline. Especially Hastie as reserve halfback. And Robinson to replace Millar at the 60 minute mark. Assuming Nareki is injured I'd put Gilbert on the wing, he's had some good games there this season.
Bench needs to be a bomb squad. That means stack it with all the limited experience we have. Big Jim, Fabian Holland and Veveni Lasanga are probably good fits for the bench given the minutes they had in the past few weeks. But equally could put Jonah Lowe or Will Stodart in the mix. Maybe even Jake Te Hiwi instead of Lowe.
-
@handa457 Tele’a has a hamstring injury and is out for another couple weeks at this stage so I would expect more of the same in the midfield. EDG should be good to go. Tangitau should be good to go which is massive.
I wouldn’t do a lot of rotating to key players this week, we need to take advantage of home field advantage and have our best players out there. Will be interesting to see how Jake approaches this week after the second half capitulation last weekend.
-
@handa457 said in Highlanders v Crusaders:
My predicted lineup would look something like this. A number of key guys were gassed last week and we need to be rotating players.
- Ethan De Groot
- Soanne Vikenna
- Saula Ma'au
- Mitchell Dunshea
- Oli Haig
- TK Howden
- Sean Withy
- Hugh Renton
- Folau Fakatava
- Cam Millar
- Sam Gilbert
- Thomas Umunga Jensen
- Tanelea Telea
- Caleb Tangitau
- Jacob Kneepkins
- Jack Taylor
- Daniel Lienert Brown
- Sefo Kauitau
- Will Stodart / Fabian Holland
- Veveni Lasanga
- Nathan Hastie
- Taine Robinson
- Timcoi T / Jonah Lowe
We need more balance to our backline. Especially Hastie as reserve halfback. And Robinson to replace Millar at the 60 minute mark. Assuming Nareki is injured I'd put Gilbert on the wing, he's had some good games there this season.
Bench needs to be a bomb squad. That means stack it with all the limited experience we have. Big Jim, Fabian Holland and Veveni Lasanga are probably good fits for the bench given the minutes they had in the past few weeks. But equally could put Jonah Lowe or Will Stodart in the mix. Maybe even Jake Te Hiwi instead of Lowe.
Holland will start. Haig likely on the bench. Is Nareki injured? Otherwise he’s starting. Gilbert on the wing offers nothing in attack or defence. He can’t catch anything either so doesn’t add anything.
Starting Withy over Lasanga wouldn’t be rewarding a guy who has played much better at 7 than Withy. Withy on the bench. TUJ will be 13 as there is no one else. Also suspect Millar will be benched.This weekend is a big test for the leadership group and coaches to see if they can get the team up for it or not, or it will be a long day at the office.
-
@KiwiInLondon get this awful feeling they will make 100 tackles in the 1st half, go into the sheds 14 - 12 and then by the 80th minute Crusaders will have won 35 - 17
-
@Grooter said in Highlanders v Crusaders:
@KiwiInLondon get this awful feeling they will make 100 tackles in the 1st half, go into the sheds 14 - 12 and then by the 80th minute Crusaders will have won 35 - 17
The thing is that the Crusaders are pretty much perfectly constructed to take advantage of all the Highlanders weaknesses and negate their strengths.
The scrum will be folded up like a lawn chair. The line out, which has become all too predictable, will likely struggle. Say what you want about Havili, he doesn’t struggle tackling the bigger centres. Our back three doesn’t have a kicking game to match, the space on the outside will be exposed big time. The high work rate of the second row and back row will be easily matched by just a bigger, better, and more experienced second row and loose forward trio.
I desperately want them to win, just don’t see it happening
-
Me oh my. Some ins and outs this week.
New loosie trio.
New wingers. Not the one we want
New front row.
-
In my opinion, Worst 23 I’ve seen named this season. Gonna be an interesting game……
- ETHAN DE GROOT (CC)
- SUANE VIKENA
- SAULA MAU
- FABIAN HOLLAND
- MITCH DUNSHEA
- TE KAMAKA HOWDEN
- SEAN WITHY
- WILL STODART
- FOLAU FAKATAVA
- CAMERON MILLAR
- JONAH LOWE
- JAKE TE HIWI
- THOMAS UMAGA-JENSEN
- TIMOCI TAVATAVANAWAI [CC]
- JACOB RATUMAITAVUKI-
KNEEPKENS
Bench
16. JACK TAYLOR
17. JOSH BARTLETT
18. SEFO KAUTAI
19. OLI HAIG
20. VEVENI LASAQA
21. NATHAN HASTIE
22. SAM GILBERT
23. JOSH WHAANGA(DEBUT) -
I Would rather have Gilbert(who played his best game this season on the wing) in 14 or Whaanga(played plenty there for Otago) on the wing and keep Tavatavanawai at 12. I don’t like the look of this backline at all due to 11 and 12… Here’s hoping they surprise me.
-
I want to like Jake Te Hiwi. We have not produced a midfield back out of Otago for decades. If he can get some runs on the board. He can be a decent player. I do feel this is a bit of a hospital pass for him though.
-
@SouthernMann from what I’ve seen over the last couple years he’s a fair way away. Not saying he can’t turn things around but it hasn’t been smooth sailing at all so far. Won’t even touch on Jonah Lowe, meh.
Forwards solid as it can get for us at the moment, a shame Renton is out and Haig coming back and starting 2 games - a bench spot was inevitable.
Time for some young lads to show what they have and hopefully lift for a big home game.
-
George Bower
(VC) Codie Taylor
Fletcher Newell
Scott Barrett
Jamie Hannah
Xavier Saifoloi
Tom Christie
Christian Lio-Willie
Noah Hotham
Taha Kemara
Macca Springer
(C) David Havili
Dallas McLeod
Sevu Reece
(VC) Will JordanIoane Moananu
Tamaiti Williams
Kershawl Sykes-Martin
Tahlor Cahill
Corey Kellow
Kyle Preston
Rivez Reihana
Chay FihakiBlackadder is injured again
-
@Landers92 said in Highlanders v Crusaders:
@SouthernMann from what I’ve seen over the last couple years he’s a fair way away. Not saying he can’t turn things around but it hasn’t been smooth sailing at all so far. Won’t even touch on Jonah Lowe, meh.
Forwards solid as it can get for us at the moment, a shame Renton is out and Haig coming back and starting 2 games - a bench spot was inevitable.
Time for some young lads to show what they have and hopefully lift for a big home game.
The thing with Te Hiwi is he has only played two or three games a season (both Otago and the Highlanders) since his debut. No continuity. Just one game, then a few weeks off. Then another game. This is a bit of a frying pan into fire game for him.
Looks like Renton is just not right according to Joseph.
-
@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders v Crusaders:
The high work rate of the second row and back row will be easily matched by just a bigger, better, and more experienced second row and loose forward trio.
eh?? bigger? I think you have two very heavy props, Holland (maybe second tallest in the comp?), a second lock the height of Barrett, and if stats are still relevant the landers loosies are bigger (or at least taller).
Not sure the Crusaders are that huge in the forwards (their props are heavy but not esp tall).
-
@nostrildamus yeah, no idea how big Sailafoi is, but he'd have to be packing a fair bit of weight to make up for the other two loosies. Hannah must have also gained a lot of weight since I last saw him, when he made Jordie look bulky.
-
-
@Chris said in Highlanders v Crusaders:
@Bones said in Highlanders v Crusaders:
Sailafo
6ft 5 114 kgs a decent size no.6.
That's about the same as Stodart right? Not enough to make up for the other two midgets 😬
