Hunt in the driver’s seat
The puzzle of who will wear the Highlanders No 10 jersey when their season starts against the Sharks in Dunedin on February 7 has become a little clearer.
Head coach Aaron Mauger has named Mitch Hunt to start at No 10 against the Crusaders in Wanaka today, with Josh Ioane named at fullback.
The Highlanders have named a separate team for each half, with the playmakers switching roles at the break, but Hunt’s opportunity to steer what looks like close to the Highlanders’ best team around the paddock in the opening 40 minutes signals that he is a good chance to begin the campaign at No 10.
‘‘We played Josh at No 12 last week [against the Waratahs] and it was pretty exciting to have both of them on the field,’’ Highlanders attack coach Tony Brown said.
‘‘I think they’re both quality rugby players and potentially they are both guys we want on the field at the same time.
‘‘We’re just trying to work out that puzzle at the moment and we’ll play around with that over the next couple of weeks and against the Sharks you’ll see where we got to.’’
Tei Walden has been handed the No 12 jersey against the Super Rugby champions, resuming his midfield partnership with Rob Thompson.
Ioane is no stranger to the fullback position but the shift away from No 10 will still provoke some discussion, especially as he made a sharp debut at first-five for the All Blacks against Tonga last year.
However, the Highlanders are keen on 24-year-old Hunt’s ability to win the big moments in close games, an area where they struggled at times last year.
The Wanaka hitout will also be a special occasion for the Fainga’anuku family, with brothers Tima (Highlanders) and Leicester (Crusaders) set to mark up on each other after being named in the No 14 and No 11 jerseys, respectively.
Tima Fainga’anuku, the older of the brothers at 22, wasn’t even in the Highlanders squad when it was announced last year but a season-ending injury to Connor Garden-Bachop opened the door and he has made the most of his opportunity.
Otago excitement machine Jona Nareki will wear the No 11 jersey, after winning some fulsome praise from Brown this week.
In another interesting move, Dillon Hunt has been named at No 6 alongside captain and fellow openside James Lentjes in the back row, with Marino Mikaele Tu’u given an opportunity at No 8.
Last week’s starting No 8, Teariki Ben-Nicholas, will get his chance in the second half in what looks like a close competition to join Lentjes and All Black
Shannon Frizell in the back row against the Sharks.
Up front, Josh Dickson partners Pari Pari Parkinson in the second row, while the Highlanders will look to Siate Tokolahi to shore up a scrum that was put under intense pressure by the Waratahs.
Vice-captain Ash Dixon is still nursing a niggle has not been risked for the Wanaka fixture, which starts at 6pm.