Joseph keeps faith in midfield back
RUGBY: Having bounded to the defence of Malakai Fekitoa, Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph then flicked his strike midfielder a subtle message by saying it is time to ignite his A-game.
Fekitoa, named to start at second five-eighth for the Super Rugby semifinal against the Lions tomorrow morning (NZT), may not be in the most convincing form but Joseph remains optimistic he still has the ability to twist the attacking switch at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Ben Smith (captain), Waisake Naholo, Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa, Patrick Osborne, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith, Luke Whitelock, James Lentjes, Elliot Dixon, Tom Franklin. Alex Ainley, Josh Hohneck, Ash Dixon, Daniel Lienert-Brown. Reserves: Greg Pleasants-Tate, Aki Seiuli, Ross Geldenhuys, Joe Wheeler, Liam Squire, Dan Pryor, Te Aihe Toma, Marty Banks.
Andries Coetzee, Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Courtnall Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Ruan Ackermann, Warwick Tecklenburg, Jaco Kriel (captain), Franco Mostert, Andries Ferreira, Julian Redelinghuys, Malcolm Marx, Dylan Smit. Reserves: Armand van der Merwe, Corne Fourie, Jacques van Rooyen, Lourens Erasmus, Steph de Witt, Dillon Smit, Howard Mnisi, Jaco van der Walt.
Although listed as the competition’s leading offloader, Fekitoa has been less prominent with his running game since Super Rugby resumed after the June tests.
When the Lions’ beat the Crusaders 42-25 in the quarterfinal last weekend their midfield pairing of Janse van Rensburg and Lionel Mapoe tapped into their powerful ball carrying skills to dominate the confrontation against David Havili and Ryan Crotty.
Searching for soft points in the Highlanders’ defensive line, starting with their midfield duo of Fekitoa and rookie centre Matt Faddes, is their next task.
All Black Fekitoa has proved he can turn a game by using his powerful legs to break tackles and get in behind the defence, and Joseph will be hoping the the dry ball in Jo’burg helps him rediscover that part of his game.
‘‘He is obviously playing in a new position and it is taking him a bit of time for him to get used to 12,’’ Joseph said.
‘‘He has done that because of the skills and speed of Matt Faddes who is a new boy … Malakai, as you know, is a big-game player Saturday is a big game.
‘‘I think he is ready for a big one.’’ So there you have it. Much will hinge on whether the Highlanders can claim enough possession against the beefy Lions pack and construct their usual efficient game plan of using kicks from influential All Blacks Lima Sopoaga, Ben Smith and Aaron Smith to plant the ball in their opponents’ half before flooding the ball carriers in an attempt to strike from turnovers.
Under Joseph the Highlanders have perfected the art of kicking first and then asking questions; the statistics, which show they kick the ball more than any other side, can’t be ignored.
‘‘What the stats don’t say is where we kick, and we tend to hold the ball later in the match when the game is coming to a crunch,’’ Joseph noted. and