CRANKING UP THE POINTS MACHINE
For the casual fan, the Highlanders are going to be fun to watch. With plenty of speed at the back and at least five play-making options in their starting XV, the Southerners should be more than capable of putting plenty of points on the board.
In 2018, they were among the competition leaders in o oads, tries and points scored, and they’ll be right up there again in all three categories. One of their key assets lies in the rock solid midfield pairing of Rob Thompson and Teihorangi Walden, who are both defensively sound and threaten defences when putting boot to ball or running it.
Adding to that, the experience brought in by Aaron Smith, Ben Smith and Waisake Naholo must not be taken for granted.
With more than 300 Super Rugby matches between them, the trio knows what it takes to win in Super Rugby.
But it’s not just the starters who can deliver for the Highlanders, because they have plenty of depth across the backline.
The likes of Richard Buckman and Sio Tomkinson are among the host of reliable midfield options, with Marty Banks returning to add strength to the first fiveeighth stocks, while Tevita Li, Josh McKay and Josh Ioane are exciting young talents who should be given an opportunity at some point in the season.