Highlanders won’t stay up late waiting to discover fate
Don’t expect to see Highlanders players sucking back pints in Octagon on Saturday night.
Instead, they’ve been told to go home and go to bed after their regular season finale against the Rebels at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Head coach Aaron Mauger will do the same, and insists he won’t be burning the midnight oil and keeping an eye on two matches being played in South Africa in the wee hours of Sunday morning (NZT).
Forget the fact the Lions-Bulls match in Johannesburg, and the Sharks-Jaguares clash in Durban, will determine where the Highlanders play next weekend’s quarterfinal, Mauger would rather he and his team get a good night’s sleep.
‘‘Not at all,’’ Mauger said when asked if he was expecting a sleepless night on Saturday.
‘‘We can’t control what’s going on around the world. The thing we can control is our performance, and then we will make sure the boys get a good night’s rest. We’re going to need that.
‘‘Our advise would be to go home and get a good night’s rest and we’ll deal with where we’re going the next day.’’
Given the Highlanders’ final regular season match, which is also most likely their last game at Forsyth Barr Stadium this year, kicks off at 5.15pm, hitting the hay at a reasonable hour shouldn’t be difficult.
But that’s not the case when trying to predict where the Highlanders will play in the quarterfinals next weekend.
What’s clear is they can’t finish eighth, and it’s not realistic they finish fifth, so lock in sixth or seventh. At the other end, it comes down to who finishes second or third.
Regardless, the Highlanders are set to play either the Lions in Johannesburg, the Jaguares in Buenos Aires, or the Waratahs in Sydney.
‘‘We’ve got plans in place for everything, for all those eventualities,’’ Mauger said. ‘‘It’s a matter of waking up in the morning and pushing the button.’’
Should the Highlanders be required to travel to South Africa or Argentina, a 25-man squad will depart Dunedin sometime on Sunday afternoon, Mauger said.
If they’re set to play the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, where they were trampled 41-12 earlier in the season, they’ll remain in Dunedin for much of the week.
‘‘Anyone who makes the top eight are going to be quality sides,’’ Mauger said. ‘‘We’re all pretty aware that anybody has got the ability to beat anybody on their day.’’
Of course, before they get there they’ve got to fend off the Rebels, who are practically in a must-win situation if they’re to qualify for the playoffs.
There was both good and bad news for the Melbourne-based team leading into the season-defining match.
With little at stake, the Highlanders, in a bid to re-energise the team ahead of the playoffs, rested a stack of players, including All Blacks Ben Smith, Aaron Smith and Luke Whitelock. However, Wallabies Will Genia, Dane HaylettPetty and Adam Coleman all failed fitness tests and have been ruled out for the tourists.
The Highlanders won’t just seal sixth spot on the ladder with a win, they’ll also extend their winning run under the roof to 12 games, and will avoid a three-match losing skid for the first time since 2014.
Perhaps most importantly of all, it would build some momentum and confidence after consecutive 45-22 losses, all while key players such as the Smiths and midfielder Rob Thompson re-charge the batteries.
‘‘We know it’s going to be a good challenge, there will be a lot of emotion in the first 20 or so minutes,’’ Mauger said. ‘‘They’re also a big, physical side, and they like to play a lot of footy. So we’re going to have to be on our game from minute one and really understand the challenge that’s coming.’’
AT A GLANCE
learnings.
‘‘I’ve improved a lot. Obviously playing in the New Zealand conference, it’s a lot tougher and a lot more running rugby.
‘‘One thing I soon found out when I moved over was you’ve got to be quite fit,’’ Lomax said.
Tokolahi’s return from his knee injury was brief.
He played one game – against the Chiefs a fortnight ago – before being ruled out for the season after taking another knock to it.
He had surgery in Dunedin on Thursday and is expected to be out of action for up to six months, ruling him out of Canterbury’s Mitre 10 Cup campaign.
That means the Tasman front rower looks set to be the Highlanders’ starting tighthead for the remainder of the season, with rookie Kalolo Tuiloma his backup.
Games such as last week’s 45-22 loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch, where Lomax scored his second try of the season, will only help his growth.
‘‘They’ve obviously pretty much got an All Blacks tight five, you sort of want to give it your all.
‘‘They were tough last week, they got it over us, but you learn a fair bit from those games,’’ Lomax said.
Rebels: