No coach, no problem for Highlanders, says Flutey
There is no grumbling at Highlanders HQ about the imminent departure of head coach Tony Brown to prepare Japan for their test against the British and Irish Lions in June.
Brown announced last week he will leave for Japan today and will miss the Super Rugby TransTasman competition, an awkward situation created by the overlapping of his Highlanders and Japanese commitments.
However, attack coach Riki Flutey believes the Highlanders are well placed to cope with Brown’s loss as the impressive Reds come to Dunedin on Friday.
‘‘I think he’s set us up really well in terms of our leaders,’’ Flutey said. ‘‘Our leaders have done an amazing job this year.
‘‘The way Tony Brown leads an environment ... by giving them a voice and letting them show their leadership roles both on the field and off field.
‘‘As assistant coaches he’s given us a lot of responsibility right from the start. [But] he’s going to be there. He’ll be coaching from overseas. We’ll be touching base with him most days.’’
Brown will still construct the game plans from afar, but Flutey has already been looking after the strike moves from scrum and
‘‘As assistant coaches he’s [Tony Brown] given us a lot of responsibility right from the start.
Riki Flutey
lineout since the start of the year, while Kane Jury will step up to assist with the unstructured attack.
Flutey’s fingerprints have been all over the Highlanders’ slick lineout moves this year,
although the former Ma¯ ori All Blacks, England and British and Irish Lions star was quick to deflect any praise, pointing to the side’s ‘‘collaborative’’ approach.
Yet, the Highlanders are under no illusions that they need to improve after a Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign that had some highlights but was ultimately disappointing.
A 41-22 loss to the Hurricanes in the final round represented a poor finish to the competition, and their well-documented injury woes have put the Highlanders on the back foot before the clash against Brad Thorn’s champion Reds side. ‘‘We had a good review from players and coaches around a lot of parts of our game where we do need to improve,’’ Flutey said.
‘‘Right from tactical opportunities that we are potentially missing on the field, and also the way we go into a week and prepare as players. They were a couple of points that we touched on.’’
The Highlanders will name their side for the Reds today, with most focus on whether Nehe Milner-Skudder holds on to the No 15 jersey. Milner-Skudder made a successful comeback against the Hurricanes two weeks ago, showing glimpses of his undoubted class.