Landers met their deadline for arriving in Christchurch

THE Highlanders were happy to play their quarterfinal on Saturday and had given themselves a deadline of getting to Christchurch which they met.

Former All Black Jeff Wilson said on Radio Sport yesterday the team’s quarterfinal against the Crusaders should have been postponed a day.

The Crusaders won 170 in shocking conditions in front of a crowd of only 10,000.

Wilson said the game should have been played on Sunday afternoon when the weather was better, and that the Highlanders were at too much of a disadvantage after arriving late in Christchurch.

He said fans missed out on what would have been an absorbing contest if it had been played on Sunday.

The Highlanders were originally set to leave for Christchurch at 5.30pm on Friday but the flight was cancelled because of wet, windy weather in Dunedin.

No other flights could be arranged for the team that night. The squad caught a flight from Dunedin the next day, leaving late in the morning.

Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said the Highlanders coaching staff decided to set a deadline of being in Christchurch by 2.30pm on Saturday.

The coaches thought the side would be right to play if they arrived in Christchurch by that time, which they did.

That left the team enough time to prepare and get to the game. Clark said they left the decision to play in the hands of Sanzaar and New Zealand Rugby.

A state of emergency was declared in Christchurch about lunchtime on Saturday but the game went ahead.

Wilson was full of praise for the Crusaders and the way they played but said the Highlanders were at a disadvantage having arrived in the city so late.

Ironically, the Crusaders may have won on the paddock but most probably would have lost on the balance sheet.

The franchise would have hoped for a bigger crowd and as it had to pay the Highlanders money — $NZ77,000 — under the playoff system, it would have been struggling to make a return from the match.

It will host the Chiefs at the same stadium on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Dunedin City Council undertook a full assessment of sporting grounds in Dunedin yesterday and will review the situation today.

The grounds were said to be in a muddy state even before the wet weather hit over the weekend.