Highlanders wish granted
The Highlanders got exactly what they wanted from the final round of Super Rugby – another crack at the Crusaders.
The teams have a quarterfinal date in Christchurch on Saturday night, with the winner going on to play the Chiefs or Stormers in the semifinals.
Sleeping in their own beds for the week and flying one-hour north to Christchurch sure beats jetting 11,000km to Johannesburg to play the top-seeded Lions, the other quarterfinal scenario the Highlanders faced.
It was a no-brainer for Highlanders coach Tony Brown, who maintained last week he’d much rather play the Crusaders at AMI Stadium, the venue of his team’s most gut-wrenching loss this season.
So he turned into a Hurricanes fan for a couple of hours on Saturday night, cheering them on to victory against the previously unbeaten Crusaders in Wellington.
The Hurricanes’ 31-22 win, and the Lions’ win over the Sharks in Durban, meant Brown and his team didn’t have to jump on a plane bound for South Africa – via Australia – on Sunday morning.
But as the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for.
The Highlanders must now play a team not only stung by slipping to the second-seed, but one they’ve only beaten 11 times in 31 attempts. Two of their 20 losses were heart-breakers this season, with a second-half capitulation to blame for a 30-27 loss at Forsyth Barr Stadium in round two, before Crusaders pivot Mitch Hunt lashed over a scarcely believable 47m drop goal to snatch a stunning 25-22 win in last month’s rematch in Christchurch.
Speaking after that loss, which snapped a franchise record ninematch winning streak, Brown suspected his team would get a shot at revenge in the playoffs. While the 14-1 Crusaders will head into the sudden-death quarterfinal off a loss, the Highlanders ended the regular season with a comfortable 40-17 win against the Reds in Dunedin on Friday night.
The result ensured they finished the season with an 11-4 record, a remarkable turnaround after they stumbled out of the blocks and lost three of their first four games.
‘‘I feel as though we have created a lot of momentum,’’ Brown said. ‘‘But the biggest positive for us is our whole squad is fit, our whole squad is raring to go. There’s going to be some tough selection calls and there’s going to be a lot of excitement going into this first quarterfinal.’’
‘‘There’s going to be some tough selection calls and there’s going to be a lot of excitement going into this first quarterfinal.’’ Highlanders coach Tony Brown
The Highlanders rested fullback Ben Smith and halfback Aaron Smith against the Reds, but both are expected to play against the Crusaders. Utility Matt Faddes, who broke his hand against the Crusaders on June 3, is also expected to be available.