Highlanders give the Waratahs the blues

June 05, 2021
1078
Ultimate Rugby

The Highlanders continued on their winning ways with a 59-23 hammering of the Waratahs in Super Rugby Trans Tasman. The first half was a sea-saw battle, with the lead changing hands seven times as the Highlanders ran in five tries to two, while the Waratahs kept the scoreboard ticking over with three penalties to trail 33-23 and remain in the hunt at the halftime break. There was only one side in it in the second half, as the Highlanders ran in four unanswered tries to pull away and cross the half century mark to remain firmly in the race for a finals spot.

Jonah Nareki - Highlanders:

What a performance from the winger! Nareki showed his sheer pace on so many occasions throughout the match, getting over the line twice in his contribution to that final score. Nareki really plays an integral role in the Highlanders outfit by not only getting the points but setting up the plays that lead to tries as well, a great package to have with a winger!

Metres made: 69

Carries: 8

Points: 10

Josh Ioane - Highlanders:

Ioane finds himself in the fullback position today but performed at a high level anyways. He beat 3 defenders in order to really contribute in the attacking front. Ioane had an important role as always to play in the fullback role and he delivered!

Metres made: 45

Carries: 4

Ethan de Groot - Highlanders:

de Groot's name rang loud throughout the game as he had an awesome performance to get 2 tries! Not only did he make a strong attacking contribution but he also made a total of six tackles throughout the match. This may not sound like too much but it was the fourth highest of the entire Highlanders team, with the Highlanders being on the attack for the majority of the match.

Metres made: 6

Carries: 6

Points: 10

Jack Maddocks - Waratahs:

It's often difficult to choose top performers from a team that switches off at the beginning of the second half but doing so in this match would be doing Maddocks a disservice. He continued to try and play his best game as time went on. Maddocks made the most metres of the match, a total of 97 metres! He was able to get a try in before the halftime break as well.

Carries: 8

Defenders beaten: 4