Highlanders v Moana Pasifika
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Loads to work on but also lots of positives I think, fakatava was slow to play the ball off the deck…stood with his hands on the ball for ages before passing, needs to sort that, patchell has some work to do but also ran from depth and actually feed the backline like we haven’t seen in a while, the pass for that try was a plumb! Ppp is a penalty magnet but I also saw a few moments when he really dominated in the tackle, stay injury free and keen working on it and we might finally see the best of him
Harmon was immense, he came out and folded the MP 8 at least 3-4 times, leading from the front
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@frugby said in Highlanders v Moana Pasifika:
For all the talk about that being a close game, Moana Pasifika scored two tries during a period the Highlanders were down to 14 - the only two they managed, and at no other stage did they really look like scoring.
Was the Highlanders discipline good? Obviously not, but I felt Pickerill blew us off the park. I suspect we will thrive with Ben O'Keeffe, or someone who will let the game flow. The 9-1 penalty count in the first half was straight bullshit.
We'll get better, our attack looked good for the most part, and our defence was largely strong. I think the loose forward trio is something that will evolve as the season goes on. IMO need Broughton or Haig instead of Renton or Withy for a bit more pace and dynamic running. Renton to me is a good honest toiling hard bastard, who is good backup, but he is just a little slow.
A bit harsh on Moana, they came close a couple of times in the 2nd half but lacked a bit of accuracy and patience in the red zone, and I'm not gonna lie, PPP was lucky to stay on the park after his hit on Toala. It should have been yellow.
I think physically you guys were good though against an equally physical Moana side. The Moana 8, Inisi copped a hammering out there but to his credit, kept coming back for more. It was a real good battle between the loose trios which the Highlanders shaded.
JRK looks at home now that he knows that he's gonna be the starting fullback, similar to Fihaki at the Crusaders. I think we'll see them both really shine now that they'll be getting regular gametime this year, instead of 1 game in 3 games out types of seasons.
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@Frank said in Highlanders v Moana Pasifika:
@Dan54 said in Highlanders v Moana Pasifika:
By geez fellas if anyone catches a replay, be interested in opinion/s of Fabian Holland's game. I personally thought he was immense, but you tend to notice players (especially tighties) in replays. I notice he was calling the lineouts etc too, quite unusual for someone that young.
He might be the next Ethan Blackadder/Charlie Ngatai, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The title of Dutch Jesus is up for grabs.
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I love how he sells this dummy so well Broughton gets double teamed, compete stitch up!
