'It works': What the Highlanders proved in comeback versus Chiefs
The Highlanders winless streak against New Zealand teams continued with a 28-21 loss to the Chiefs but a brave fightback has proved that they are on the right track.
The Chiefs looked to be in cruise control when a try from a kick return to Cortez Ratima gave the home side a 28-0 lead with 25 minutes remaining.
But a furious rally with three tries, including two in the last 10 minutes, gave the Highlanders a golden chance to at least tie the match.
Highlanders captain Billy Harmon said the comeback "proves" that the high-possession game they want to play will work.
"We gave ourselves a chance," Highlanders captain Billy Harmon told Sky Sport NZ.
"But we just weren't quite accurate in some plays. We let a lot of ball go, dropped a lot of ball, but we proved our shape works.
"It creates for us, now we just need to get better at finishing it off."
Harmon's reference to the possession-based rugby the Highlanders use resulted in 192 carries compared to just 66 for the Chiefs.
In the wet conditions Harmon led with 30 carries, second five-eighth Sam Gilbert finished with 26, and growing lock Fabian Holland logged 20.
As a result they finished with 66 per cent possession and 62 per cent territory but a total of 23 turnovers lost cost the side.
Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson, who was sin binned during the second half, wasn't surprised the Highlanders were able to give them a fright.
"As we knew, the Highlanders are a gritty team and they were right back in there," Jacobson said.
"Probably didn't start the way we'd like and probably our own worst enemy there at times. Our discipline and ball skill execution.
"Credit to Landers they really played, they've got some X-factor players and they put us under pressure."
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Some interesting stats that just proved what my first impression of NZ’s drive to speed up Rugby Union would amount to - fine margins here and there to cut a few seconds off the game and nothing else. To do more there would have to be wholesale changes to the game like doing away with scrums, lineouts and bringing back the ELV’s to have free kicks instead of penalties. Very little chance of it happening but, in the end, Ruby Union would be a 15-man version of Rugby League. There are reasons why Rugby Union is globally more popular that Rugby League and what NZ are also not considering is the unintended consequences of what they want to achieve. This will end up turning Rugby Union into a low value product that will not be acceptable to the paying public. If people really wanted a sped-up version of rugby, then why is Rugby Union globally way more popular than Rugby League? Rugby lovers all over the world are also not stupid and have seen through what NZ are trying to achieve here, selfishly to bring back their glory days of dominance over every other nation and compete with Rugby League that is dominant in Australasia. NH countries just don’t have the cattle, or the fantastic weather needed to play like NZ SR franchises do so good luck to whoever has to try and convince the NH to accept going back to the days of NZ dominance and agreeing to wreck the game in the process. I have serious doubts on the validity of the TV stats presented by GP. All they did was expand the broadcasting base by putting it on free to air, not even any indication of arresting the continued drop in viewership. Match day attendance goes hand in hand with broadcast ratings so if there was an increase in the one you should expect to see it with the other. However, the drop in match day attendance is very evident to the casual highlights package viewer. The only club who looks to be getting solid attendance is the Drua. I am calling it now that NZ’s quest to speed up the game will fail and so will the vote on the 20-minute red card.
Go to commentsIt’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
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