Super 15 Rugby

The Highlanders were crowned champions of Super Rugby 2015, as they put the Hurricanes to the sword in an epic all-New Zealand final on Saturday. Super Rugby confirmed the 21-14 victory for the visitors via Twitter:

The @Highlanders are #SuperRugby champions! pic.twitter.com/WSkChAA5C3

— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) July 4, 2015

In huge occasions like Saturday’s final, the opening exchanges can go one of two ways: either the players come out a little tentative and nervy or they go all out.

Super Rugby 2015 final was undoubtedly the latter.

There were some massive hits in the first few minutes, with Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa at the heart of the action.

It wasn’t long before the first points were chalked up on the scoreboard, as Lima Sopoaga converted a tricky-looking penalty with ease to put his side into a 0-3 lead.

First blood didn’t mean a drop in intensity, though, as both sides went at it with both barrels.

The Hurricanes piled on plenty of pressure, but strong defensive work by Jamie Joseph’s men kept them at bay. That’s how it was for both sides, too, as they went all out for the try line—as Oval Digest reflected:

This game is incredible! Both going at it hammer and tongs. Sheer refusal to kick it out! #SuperRugbyFinal #HURvHIG

— Oval Digest (@OvalDigest) July 4, 2015

It wasn’t until the 27-minute mark that further damage was done to the scoreboard, with Sopoaga once again converting a penalty to make it 0-6.

That scoreline didn’t exactly tell the tale of the first half, though, as the Hurricanes were enjoying the best of the action deep into the Highlanders half.

They were trying their hardest to get back in the game but over-eagerness saw them give away a few penalties and lose their chances to dot down.

However, just before the half-time interval, the Hurricanes’ pressure finally told.

Powerhouse Ma’a Nonu forced his way over to make it 5-6, leaving onlooker Dave Arthur amazed at the Kiwi’s brute strength:

https://twitter.com/drsportbiz/status/617243902093996032

So, it looked like game on heading into the break, but Elliot Dixon had other ideas.

Great work from Aaron Smith released the incredible Dixon, who took three Hurricanes players over the line with him yet still managed to get the ball down.

Sapoaga converted once again to make it 5-13 at half time.

Looking back over the first 40 minutes, it could well have been 13-5 to the Hurricanes rather than the Highlanders, but such is rugby that taking chances is imperative.

Chris Boyd’s men were in no mood to stand around licking their wounds as the second half got underway, though, as they piled on the pressure and got back into the match at 8-13 thanks to Beauden Barrett’s penalty. 

However, they were caught cold when prolific try-scorer Waisake Naholo was on the end of a flowing counter to make it 8-18, as EatSleepRugby’s video shows:

Waisake Naholo against Julian Savea!!! Hurricanes 8 Highlanders 18 https://t.co/aNIuFk5vT9

— EatSleepRugby (@Eat_Sleep_Rugby) July 4, 2015

Another Barrett kick made it 11-18, before the 'Canes spurned their biggest chance of the final.

Julian Savea was the extra man in a superb move by the hosts, but he completely (and uncharacteristically) fluffed his lines—per EatSleepRugby:

Can't believe I have just witnessed the ultimate finisher Julian Savea, with the line in falling distance, ... https://t.co/Hkm5GHGQPU

— EatSleepRugby (@Eat_Sleep_Rugby) July 4, 2015

That seemed to take the wind out of the Hurricanes’ sails a touch, but when Barrett kicked a penalty to make it 14-18 on 67 minutes, it was game on once again.

The Highlanders were now sweating.

There was only so much defending they could do—they absolutely had to get forward and put some pressure on the Canes’ back line.

They did exactly that, though, and were it not for a monumental Savea tackle, Marty Banks would have been in to dot down.

The Highlanders’ frustration was short-lived, however, as Banks struck a drop goal to make it 14-21 with just three minutes remaining.

That’s how it stayed until the final whistle, as the Highlanders wrote their name into the history books with their first-ever Super Rugby triumph.

The team’s official Twitter feed reflected on just how big an accomplishment the victory was:

We have just witnessed without a doubt the greatest moment in Highlanders History! #HURvHIG #SuperRugbyFinal

— Highlanders (@Highlanders) July 4, 2015

Defensively, the champions were quite simply flawless. Withstanding everything that the Hurricanes can throw at a team is no mean feat, but they did it brilliantly.

Dixon, who was awarded the man of the match gong, scored his try at a vital time, as it looked for all the world as if the 'Canes were going to head in at half-time just a point adrift.

The No. 8 was unheralded at the start of the year, and his rise to prominence couldn’t have been better suited for this historic victory.

Reaction to follow

The Super Rugby 2015 final boils down to an in-house scrap between New Zealand’s two best franchises in Wellington.

The Hurricanes and the Highlanders have taken different routes to this contest at the summit, and the home side start as favourites after topping the table and beating the Highlanders twice already this season.

But Jamie Joseph’s men have been underrated all season.

A pack with no star names has consistently punched above its weight, giving the league’s best scrum-half Aaron Smith the sort of platform he craves and allowing a potent back line containing All Blacks Malakai Fekitoa and captain Ben Smith to carve teams up.

But the real show-stopper for the men from Dunedin this season has been the man in the No. 14 shirt, Waisake Naholo. The Fijian-born wing led the try-scoring charts this year with 12, one ahead of Hurricanes scrum-half TJ Perenara, per the New Zealand Herald.

All eyes will be on Naholo on Saturday. This contest brings him into direct conflict with All Blacks try machine Julian Savea. The 24-year-old has an astonishing record in Test rugby of 30 tries in 33 appearances, per espn.co.uk. He has bagged eight for the ‘Canes this season.

Naholo, just 24, may well be the man to play on the opposite flank to Savea for the All Blacks this year.

They have certainly made it clear they rate him by including him in their extended training squad, an invite that backed up Naholo’s decision to renege on a contract he signed to join French club Clermont Auvergne next season, per stuff.co.nz.

The giants from the Massif Central wanted him as a replacement for the departing Napolioni Nalaga, who has been one of the best players in Europe for years, but the lure of the black jersey has proved stronger than the money on offer in France.

It is also something of a turnaround since Naholo was deemed surplus goods by John Kirwan at Auckland. That was what prompted his decision to head north and, before his mind was changed, it left stuff.co.nz's Glenn McLean lamenting his loss to New Zealand:

Naholo was handled poorly in New Zealand. Not in Taranaki but in Auckland where the Blues, under coach John Kirwan, could not see how good a player they potentially had.

The franchise has bleated on about how much talent they have in their outside back ranks but are any of their current roster playing anywhere near as good as Naholo?

The answer is the opposite of yes.

It’s little wonder Steve Hansen likes what he has seen, and made moves to keep him south of the equator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6khjoV_oss

Naholo is the full package: big, fast, agile and deadly. Each of these attributes was displayed by the try he created for himself in the semi-final against the Waratahs, when he neatly dabbed the ball beyond his defender into the dead-ball area, then outpaced the cover to reach it before it rolled out of play.

Naholo showed great dexterity to dive on the pill and get sufficient downward pressure before he went clattering out of play.

Doing the same to Savea on Saturday will be a tall order, but it is a head-to-head Chris Rattue of the New Zealand Herald is looking forward to.

Hard to imagine anyone getting the better of Savea at the moment. He is the best wing in the world and has perfected a few calling cards, like driving low to the goal line. Naholo doesn't need much room to cut teams apart with his speed, as he showed with his kick-ahead try against the Waratahs. But the Hurricanes will cover those situations with more panache, energy and maybe even the odd blocking move if necessary. A tantalising contest in store.

As the highlight reel shows, Naholo, much like Savea, can score every type of try. He can pick off interceptions, smash through tacklers, outstrip people with his pace and pluck cross-field kicks from the sky. This season saw him break Jeff Wilson’s record try tally for the franchise.

The stats say the average score when these two meet at the Cake Tin in Wellington is 28-24 to the ‘Canes, per superxv.com, so we can look forward to a tight contest.

Naholo has proven that he can be a match-winner under just such circumstances, and if he brings his A game on Saturday, he will be the man to watch.

The Hurricanes play host to the Highlanders in Saturday's 2015 Super Rugby final, with each team looking to enter its name into the history books.

Neither New Zealand franchise has ever won a Super Rugby championship, but the forthcoming crunch encounter presents two of the southern hemisphere's in-form outfits with a prime opportunity to end that drought.

Each team has made a trip to the final in the past, with the Highlanders losing to the Crusaders 24-19 in 1999 and the same opposition defeating the Hurricanes 19-12 in 2006.

With two of rugby's current club kingpins ready to do battle in Wellington, we provide full fixture details and a match preview ahead of Super Rugby's much-anticipated climax.

Date: Saturday, July 4

Time: 8:35 a.m. BST / 3:35 a.m. ET

Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), SuperSport stream (SA)

Pressure on Canes to Clinch Maiden Crown

There hasn't been a great deal of debate about which team has ruled Super Rugby this season, and the Hurricanes wrapped up their first-place league finish with weeks to spare.

However, pulling that same quality out of the bag in the Grand Final is easier said than done, and the Highlanders present an extremely tough, yet familiar foe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lNDVKft8kc

Both teams came through their respective semi-finals with flying colours, as the Canes defeated the Brumbies 29-9 and the Highlanders overcame reigning champions Waratahs 35-17.

Chris Boyd's side ended the normal season 14 points clear at the table's summit—a Super Rugby record—leading SuperSport's Brenden Nel to heap praise on their free-running ability:

Hard to see the Hurricanes stopped this year. And you've got to love the way they play. Class act this one.

— Brenden Nel (@Brendennel) June 27, 2015

It was barely a month ago when the Hurricanes blew the Highlanders out of Napier with a 56-20 defeat, but certain selection tactics mean Saturday's contest is bound to be tighter.

They've been praised as the southern hemisphere's best and quite possibly the world's finest team for months now, but one fixture still stands between the Hurricanes and sealing their bragging rights.

The Highlanders will be happy to gift their fellow New Zealanders that pressure, having finished fourth in the table, knowing all the while they're capable of an upset on their day.

New Zealand's Super Rugby Ascension

With both the Canes and Highlanders making it to the 2015 final, we have now seen at least one New Zealand franchise represented in the last five Super Rugby finals—since the conference system was introduced.

It's something Paul Williams of Rugby World referred to as his "dream Super Rugby final," asserting that these two sides have, without any shade of doubt, been the most deserving of reaching this season's Super Rugby showpiece:

Whether you’re from South Africa, South Island, New South Wales or the original South Wales, no one can argue that the Hurricanes and the Highlanders aren’t the best teams in this year’s competition. 

Waisake Naholo, Aaron Smith, Ma’a Nonu and Nehe Milner-Skudder have played the simplest, yet most exquisite rugby of the season. The Hurricanes' back line have taken passing to an almost ‘arcade-like’ level deserving of inclusion in the Android remake of NBA Jam.

If the prolonged success of New Zealand's national team hadn't cemented their status as the world's best, then the Super Rugby franchises are certainly doing their bit to stamp their southern-hemisphere dominance.

The All Blacks truly are picking from the cream of the crop too. Rugby writer Marc Hinton outlined just how many All Blacks are likely to start at Westpac Stadium on Saturday:

Figure there are 6 sure-fire Hansen Top XV AB starters in SR final: A Smith, B Smith, C Smith, Nonu, Savea & Coles. Would u add any on form?

— Marc Hinton (@marchintonnz) June 29, 2015

Saturday's game marks the first all-New Zealand Super Rugby final since the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes nine years ago, but the balance of power may be swinging back in favour of their teams.

It's too early to suggest or predict whether this reign of devastating rugby success will continue and for how long, but the club teams are sure to be enjoying their streak of terror just as much as the reigning world champions, the All Blacks.

Highlanders fans have been hearing all year that their team is not up to it, that they would fall over due to their lack of big-game experience and large number of "no-name" players.

Yet here they are, set to line up against the Hurricanes in the final of this year's edition of Super Rugby.

After a stellar regular season in which they had one of the hardest schedules in Super Rugby history, the team entered the playoffs with the second most competition points on the overall table. 

That was not enough for doubters though, with the southern men having entered both of their playoff matches against the Chiefs and Waratahs as underdogs in the eyes of many.

It is hard to understand why. The Highlanders had beaten the Chiefs twice and Waratahs once during the season, while not losing to either. They have shown their ability to play to various game plans and do so successfully. 

Both teams tried to beat them in their playoff fixtures with big, bruising forward packs, keeping the game tight and literally smashing the Highlanders in the contact situations.

That said a lot about the perception of this Highlanders forward pack, which has been so good all year—particularly over the past two months.

We are frequently inundated with statements from north of the Cook Strait saying how the forward pack is full of "no-names" and it seems the teams themselves bought into it.

Perhaps they are not a pack of big name players. But that does not mean they are not good players, and they proved it by doing to the Chiefs and Waratahs what those two sides wanted to do to the Highlanders. 

The men in the Highlanders forward pack have been playing to a high standard all year. Much has been made of how they work well as a group. That is true. But it seems to be ignored, outside of the Highlanders region, just how good these men are playing as individuals.

Take the front row for example.

Liam Coltman is playing as well as any hooker in the country. His work rate, like the others, is fantastic. He often leads the line in the kick chase, gets up with fantastic line speed on defence and brings physicality and strength in contact. On top of this, his lineout throwing has been top notch, something that has put a dampener on the otherwise outstanding Dane Coles this year.

Then there is the propping duo of Brendon Edmonds and Josh Hohneck. Again, it is hard to think of two better props in New Zealand rugby right now. Not only are they rock solid in the scrum, they demonstrate exceptional mobility around the park. Both are physical in contact, get around the field at a tremendous pace and, most notably, get back into the game quickly after making a tackle.

Behind them there are a group of locks in which you can pick any two men and be confident that they will do a good job for you. Over the past two weeks Mark Reddish and Alex Ainley have been outstanding.

Their set-piece work has been solid, but it is in the open where they come into their own. The speed at which they get around the field is like they are loose forwards, yet they get through the workload associated with tight forwards and both bring a relentless attitude, particularly on defence.

Then you have Joe Wheeler and Tom Franklin—the first-choice duo at the start of the season—who both had their seasons disrupted by injury. Wheeler is similar to the other two, a reliable lineout jumper who just keeps making tackles and hitting rucks. Franklin is slightly looser, although still a hard worker, and possesses good ball skills—most notably a handy offload.

Heading into their semi-final last weekend, it was widely remarked how many Wallabies the Waratahs forward pack contained, while the Highlanders pack contained zero All Blacks. 

Perhaps that says more about the Wallabies, however, as it is not hard to imagine most of these Highlanders making a difference to the Wallabies if they were Australian.

In fact, is it that much of a stretch to say that none of these men would look out of place in an All Black squad? 

The locks have played as well as Luke Romano and James Broadhurst over the past year or two, while the props offer more in an all-round sense than most in the All Blacks. Liam Coltman would possibly feel most aggrieved after being snubbed in a position where New Zealand have a lack of depth and Codie Taylor, another uncapped international player, was brought in.

In the loose forwards they are just as potent, if not perhaps quite banging down the doors of the All Blacks to the same extent.

Nasi Manu has been as valuable as anyone to the Highlanders over the past five years. He is a strong ball-carrier and provides go-forward, while also offering relentless defence and a work rate few can top. Indeed, it is not uncommon for him to lead the team in both carries and tackles.

Then there is the multitude of flankers, and all of them have been reliable when called upon. They normally have one ranging down the right side of the field and another covering the whole park. 

It is usually Elliot Dixon or Gareth Evans that they use in the ranging role. Both run well in the open, but both are also hard workers, chasing kicks and making plenty of tackles when play comes their way, while also offering quick support at the breakdown.

Then there is Dan Pryor, a man who has been playing top rugby for Northland for years but has been overlooked by Super franchises up until this year. His speed combined with physicality and relentlessness has been huge. Like the other loose forwards, he brings the ability to be a worker, as well as being able to make an impact with a key play.

They have all been outstanding this year, and if they were players with small reputations at the start of the season, they certainly should not be now. Each has proven himself to be a top player and many would be playing international rugby if they were from any other country.

Yet they are not getting the respect they deserve.

They have made it to the final, and while they play outstanding rugby as a collective, they are also playing exceptionally well as individuals.

In the backs they have any number of match-winners, and despite having played some scintillating rugby this year and scoring some breathtaking tries, they are still accused by Stuff writer Mark Reason of being negative.

Then there was this piece published by the New Zealand Herald, suggesting that the Highlanders would "find the Hurricanes impossible" and still referring to them as a pack of "no-names," rather than acknowledging that they indeed might actually be fairly handy players.

What else do they have to do?

They have won games through playing running rugby. They have won games through kicking tactically and being clinical on attack. Then have won games through withstanding copious amounts of pressure and taking the few chances they have been given.

They are no one-trick ponies.

Of those wins, they have claimed the scalps of the past two champions five times—twice on their home grounds. They also dispatched of the South African Conference champions Stormers in Dunedin and the Crusaders, the biggest victims of the conference system, on their home turf.

Even the Hurricanes only just escaped with a win, after a controversial decision denied the Highlanders a draw in the dying seconds of their meeting in Dunedin earlier in the year.

Do not read too much into the second meeting between those two sides this year. The Highlanders fielded a starting XV missing Ben Smith, Malakai Fekitoa, Patrick Osborne, Aaron Smith, Josh Hohneck, Nasi Manu and brought Liam Coltman off the bench. 

Those players will, most likely, take the field this weekend, making the Highlanders a team that are more than capable of lifting the trophy.

And what if they do?

Will they still be a team of no-names who are getting by based off their team culture and good attitude?

Perhaps that will be the storyline some will use.

Those within the region see the team differently though. This is a good team filled with good players. They may not have the big names, but that has largely come as a result of them being overlooked, rather than because they are not as good as those elsewhere.

There is undoubtedly a great culture within the squad; indeed, it is inherent within the whole community, which has helped.

But it is time these men get the respect they deserve as individuals too.

Perhaps they just need to keep on playing well. Eventually, performances speak for themselves.