Highlanders back ‘X factor’ teen at half
Get stuck in to the Crusaders up front, be more ruthless when the big moments come and stop conceding points just after you score them.
The Highlanders have a predictable list of goals to achieve if they want to beat the Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium tonight but they also have a surprise tucked away in the back pocket: young halfback Folau Fakatava.
The 19-year-old has a grand total of six minutes under his belt in Super Rugby but Highlanders head coach Aaron Mauger is confident of what he will bring if he gets on to the paddock.
‘‘Lots of fizz,’’ Mauger said. ‘‘He’s a real X-factor player.
‘‘He hasn’t been in a game this big yet but we have total faith that he’ll be ready for his opportunity when he gets out there.
‘‘He was the player on the paddock last week for the [Highlanders] Bravehearts against the [Crusaders] Knights [in Christchurch].
‘‘He really stood out up there and he did all the things we asked him so he’s earned his opportunity as well and when he gets out there I’m sure he’ll start to excite a few people.’’
Whether Fakatava gets any minutes remains to be seen.
If the game is in the balance the Highlanders might be tempted keep Aaron Smith on for the full 80 minutes, as they did in their finals loss to the Waratahs in Sydney last year.
Still, Fakatava’s presence on the bench ahead of the more experienced Kayne Hammington is a sign of how highly the Highlanders think of him..
Smith namechecked Fakatava after scoring the Highlanders’ roundone against the Chiefs with a dummy close to the line.
‘‘We’ve got a young halfback down in the Highlanders at the moment and he’s been doing it all pre-season with me around,’’ Smith said.
‘‘He’s got me a couple of times. He’s been really pushing me around that and making me look at different parts of my game.
‘‘So that one goes to Folau Fakatava, he’s the man. He’s been dummying everyone at camp, and it just sort of happened.’’
On his Highlanders debut against the Rebels in round three, Fakatava was injected from the bench from the final stages and immediately started throwing big right-foot steps and even had the audacity to take a quick penalty close to the Australians’ try line. Self-confidence clearly isn’t an issue with Fakatava. Clearly, though, the Highlanders are going to have to do a lot of things right before Fakatava has a chance to influence the outcome.
Although this is a South Island derby that stirs parochial passions, the entire rugby world tunes in when the Crusaders are playing these days.
They are on a 19-game winning run and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Scott Robertson and Ronan O’Gara will one day coach against each other one day, for the All Blacks and Ireland respectively.
Their backline is a joy to watch and the No 10-12-13 combination of Richie Mo’unga, Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue always seems to have space and support runners inside and out.
Then there is the Sam Whitelock factor.