Source: Radio New Zealand
Jonah Lowe of the Highlanders tackles Tuna Tuitama of Moana Pasifika. Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
The roof at Te Kaha brought a bumper atmosphere inside the stadium during Super Rugby Pacific’s ‘Super Round’ – but it also brought the heat.
The toughest conditions to play in this weekend no doubt occurred during the mid-afternoon Sunday match between the Highlanders and Moana Pasifika.
Highlanders skipper Ethan De Groot said things got hot under the roof.
“Yeah, it was hot, especially a midday game,” he said. “Bit of a greenhouse, but nah, awesome stadium.
“Almost as good as Forsyth Barr,” he chuckled.
Little reprieve was offered for the Chiefs and Drua kicking off at 4.30pm.
Players were visibly exhausted at the end of a frenetically paced match.
Two Drua players, who did not want to be named, said they struggled with the slippery ball and humidity, but they did not want this used as an excuse, particularly as they were scheduled to play indoors against Wales on Fiji’s tour to Europe in June.
Hurricanes midfielder Jordie Barrett played in the 5pm Saturday fixture and said the environment did make handling tricky.
“It’s got a different feel to Forsyth Barr, almost more like a European stadium, not as much airflow, quite humid and the ball gets a little more slippery.”
Kemu Valetini of Fijian Drua against the Chiefs at One New Zealand Stadium. Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph commended his men for enduring the elements and grinding out the win over Moana 27-17.
“Just a real arm wrestle, a real sticky game,” he said. “I felt we created a lot of opportunities that we couldn’t actually finish off and kept the opposition in the game.
“Finding a way to win in a really difficult game like that is really important, so I’m fortunate to be on the right side of that. The players were being put under a lot of pressure right to the very end, so it was nice to get a win.”
A heart-in-the-mouth moment for Joseph was surely the premature celebration of winger Adam Lennox, which very nearly cost them a try.
The halfback-cum-winger raised an arm in the air, as he approached the line, but was caught from behind and managing to grass it with a desperate fight.
Joseph said he wouldn’t give Lennox a hard word.
“No, we’ve got to do more of that I reckon.”
Lennox had seized his opportunity in recent weeks, he said.
“When he gets a sniff, if he breaks a line, he’s gone. That’s a point of difference for him as a rugby player and something good for the team, but we’ve got some really good high-quality No.9s, so it’s a competitive position.”
Sunday’s win was crucial for their season, Joseph said.
“Coming off a couple of really tight losses against teams in the top half of the competition was hurting, because the boys played really well at times, enough to probably win those games, and fell short.
“Get a win under our belt, jump on the plane, get over to Fiji and have another crack.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
