For New Zealand’s smallest and least-wealthy franchise, 2015 was the year they marshalled limited resources to perfection and came away with a championship.
Can they cope with the added burden of being defending champions rather than the dark horse in the field?
Highlanders 2015 – no longer the dark horses in 2016
The squad
There are 29 players returning from last year. The only notable losses upfront are backowers Nasi Manu and John Hardie, who are both are playing for Edinburgh now (and Hardie for Scotland); but to balance that somewhat Luke Whitelock is arriving from the Crusaders – and Liam Squire looks like a player going places. Whether the forwards are worse off or not is open to debate.
It’s fair to say that the Highlanders forwards are more honest toilers and journeymen than potential All Blacks, but take a look at that backline. Quality players like Banks and Tongia will have to rely on others getting injured or rested if they’re to get much game time. And another Canterbury import, Rob Thompson, looks handy also.
Given anything like a reasonable supply of possession there’s threats everywhere, and in Sopoaga they have arguably the steadiest No. 10 in the New Zealand conference. The problem will be getting that possession with a tight five that’s likely to be smaller than most of their opponents.
Having said that, utility back Richard Buckman was injured pre-season playing the French champions Racing 92. He is ruled out for the year and will be missed.
Richard Buckman – The ‘Barracuda” will be missed
Forwards: Elliot Dixon, Brendon Edmonds, Gareth Evans, Tom Franklin, Ross Geldenhuys, Siosiua Halanukonuka, Jackson Hemopo, Josh Hohneck, Daniel Lienert-Brown, James Lentjes, Craig Millar, Greg Pleasants-Tate, Dan Pryor, Mark Reddish, Liam Squire, Luke Whitelock, Joe Wheeler.
Backs: Marty Banks, Jason Emery, Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa, Waisake Naholo, Patrick Osborne, Hayden Parker, Josh Renton, Ben Smith, Aaron Smith, Lima Sopoaga, Fumiaki Tanaka, Rob Thompson, Patelesio Tomkinson, Ryan Tongia, Teihorangi Walden.
The coach – another factor could be that inspirational coach Jamie Joseph has already announced his post-season departure to Japan. Will the players pull it in close to “do it one more time for the coach” or will some of them have one eye and half their mind on impressing whoever it is they think might take over from Joseph?
Either way, or both, it could be a positive.
Best XV
B Smith, Naholo, Emery, Fekitoa, Osborne, Sopoaga, A Smith, Squire, Christie, E Dixon, Wheeler, Franklin, Hohneck, A Dixon, Lienert-Brown
Ben Smith – the best of the best
The Draw
Seven home games and eight away, including the Waratahs (Round 4) and Jaguares (Round 16), plus playing the Hurricanes and Chiefs twice, makes for a tough draw at first glance, but on the plus side they get the Kings en route to Buenos Aires.
Their other two matches in Australia are Rebels the week after the Waratahs, and Reds two weeks after that (with Force at Forsyth-Barr between. The South African visitors to Dunedin will be the Lions (Round 3) and Sharks (Round 9), neither of whom have good records on the road.
The Pre-season
On paper the pre-season hasn’t been overly-kind with a 38-45 loss to French Champions Racing 92, in which Buckman was injured, followed by a 19-all draw with the Crusaders.
Also in the pre-season Malakai Fekitoa went public with how difficult he found it when he first moved to New Zealand from Tonga as a teenager and speaking no English. Then he made a extraordinary Instagram post about his hitherto unknown (to my knowledge at least) anger issues. Hopefully he’s now exorcised those demons and can concentrate on his rugby.
Their pre-season concludes in Queenstown on Friday night v the Waratahs. Reports out of Dunedin are that the first-choice XV will start the match.
Malakai Fekitoa – getting over anger issues
The Prospects
Last year they flew under the radar for most of the year before ambushing three more-fancied opponents, two of them away from home, to secure their championship. There’s next to no chance of that happening again, so Jamie Joseph’s men will have to contend with the added burden of being in everyone else’s sights.
While they remain capable of tearing any defence to shreds, one suspects that the better sides will look to stifle them up front and take the Smiths, Naholo and Fekitoa out of the equation. One suspects they will be able to do so, mostly.
It’s also worth remembering that the injury Gods were rather kind to the Clan last year, and that they have arguably the least depth of any New Zealand team. Without wishing anyone ill, these things do have a habit of evening out in the long run.
All things considered, unless there are four New Zealand sides in the playoffs I can’t see the Highlanders making the cut—and before anyone reaches for their trusty pitchfork, note that even Laurie Mains is talking about them as quarter-final rather than title contenders.
The Prediction
Regular season: third or fourth in the New Zealand conference and no better than eighth overall.
Playoffs (should they qualify): losing quarter-finalists.
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