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Highlanders prepare for life without Lima in first preseason hit-out
By Online Editors
The Highlanders are getting set to play their first game of the season in Alexandra on Friday night, where they will be without a few familiar faces.
They will take on the visiting New South Wales Waratahs in their annual preseason fixture at Molyneux Park Stadium. The whole squad will be in attendance, however the All Blacks in the squad will not participate.
All eyes will be on 23-year-old first five-eighths Josh Ioane and Bryn Gatland as the pair of young halves battle it out with veteran Marty Banks to earn the No 10 jersey left vacant by longtime Highlander and All Black Lima Sopoaga.
Ioane received the starting nod for Friday's fixture, while Gatland will feature from the bench once the squad rotates.
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Latest Comments
Even with absences we still had the cattle to make the playoffs. As it was, we nearly stumbled our way into the top 8. Which shows just how easy it was to get there. And still we failed. As for Razor, there are many instances of him patching up the Crusaders roster. Numerous. Several players Id never heard of. Also, using AB legend John Afoa was a classic.
But, some of the games we were losing were from schoolboy errors, or downright confusion. Either the players were really dumb (they weren’t) or they were poorly coached. Given the repetitive nature of errors, brain fades, poor decision making, & loose structures, this all lands with the coaching group.
With only six playoff spots now in SR, & Aussie franchises now consolidated to four, 2025 looks like a tight one. We'll have to tough it out under Penney & hope for the best.
Go to commentsAgree we need a 10, 12, 13 refresh. ASAP. Well, next season now lol. Reiko should be put back on the wing. He'll be an absolute menace there. Imagine 11 Reiko 14 Clarke 15 Jordan as the backfield unit.
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