1
New Highlanders pre-season winning over young players
By Ned Lester
New Highlanders coach Clarke Dermody is implementing his own take on the Super Rugby Pacific preseason, his tactics have received glowing reviews from one of the team's youngsters as a number of promising talents begin their professional rugby journey in the unfamiliar deep south.
Dermody assumes the head coach role at a time of rebuilding for the Highlanders club, bringing in seven rookies for the 2023 campaign as the team builds around future stars like Falou Fakatava, Ethan de Groot, Marino Mikaele-Tu'u and Thomas Umaga-Jensen.
Aaron Smith's veteran presence will help steer the ship for 2023, but the All Blacks' all-time most-capped back has hinted that the 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign will be his last outing in a black jersey, which often coincides with players of his calibre taking up a higher paying contract overseas.
Nikora Broughton is one of the rookies getting his first taste of life as a Super Rugby player. Earlier in the week, he and the team were in the pool for a stress and pressure training session with Dave Wood. During the session, the players were put through a number of exercises underwater, Wood said the purpose was to better the players' understanding of stress and pressure.
"When you're under the water," Wood explained. "The stress and the pressure comes in really fast and it's what you do with that stress and that pressure in that moment, in that dynamic situation that they can then take and apply to the field.
"All that we're trying to get them to do, is to get them to be able to do more with less, so to be able to prolong what we call the easy phase of the breath hold, and that's all about their ability to shift into a calm state in dynamic situations."
Having learnt how to better deal with the agitation of the body's fear response, the team headed for Te Anau, specifically Burwood Station, where they tried their hand at sheep shearing.
“All that stuff is new to me," Broughton told Stuff. "I’m definitely out of my comfort zone giving stuff like that a crack but I’m a southern man now.
“I even got to go hunting the other night. I shot my first deer, which was bloody amazing.”
The unorthodox training methods were dreamt up with the goal of bringing the team together and promoting trust within the relationships being built in the team. Staff were also included in the activities.
Coming off a strong season with Bay of Plenty in the NPC, the 21-year-old Broughton was lapping up the experience of being in the Super Rugby environment.
“It’s definitely a step up,” Broughton said of Highlanders training. “It's definitely harder.
“But it's been good getting around the boys and learning all this new stuff and new trainings and pushing my body. It’s been bloody awesome.”
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Stuart Hogg addresses rumours of rugby return
3
Nigel Owens has final say on URC's most controversial game
4
OTD – Declan Kidney takes step up into Test rugby
5
Latest Comments
In the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
Go to commentsI’d be fascinated to see what other candidates you all might have for the Lions captaincy role. Let me know, below 👍
Go to comments