Our Saturday morning kicks off with a New Zealand derby, where the Highlanders host the Crusaders, after both teams won in the opening round of fixtures last weekend.
The Highlanders have dropped Jimmy Cowan to the bench, where he will sit next to Colin Slade, both of which will want to make an impact off the bench.
The Crusaders have announced an unchanged starting line up from the one that did the job against the Blues, with the only change on the bench being the return of Zac Guildford.
After the surprise Chiefs performance yesterday, I am wary of making a call, but I do feel that the Crusaders will be too strong for a Highlanders team that did better than expected to beat a rampant Chiefs side last week.
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Buxton Popoali’i, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 John Hardie, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Nick Crosswell, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Chris King, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Jamie Mackintosh (captain)
Substitutes: 16 Jason Rutledge, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Culum Retallick, 19 James Haskell, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Colin, Slade, 22, Telusa Veainu
Crusaders: 15 Tom Marshall, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Adam Whitelock, 11 Israel Dagg, 10 Tyler Bleyendaal, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Tom Donnelly, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Quentin MacDonald, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Substitutes: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willie Heinz, 21 Patrick Osborne, 22 Zac Guildford
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Good morning Richard and the rest that’s gonna join us
I am looking for a few FL points out of this game…
Getting a bid desperate here…
If rugby results were logical
then Yesterday’s result by the Chiefs means the Highlanders are DAMN good this season.
C’mon Highlanders, show us what ya got.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 3) :
If Otago rugby goes under, will the Highlanders have to change their uniform? Then again, it could hardly be worse than last year’s.
HIGHLANDERS 3 vs CRUSADERS 0 after 6 min. Penalty attempt not converted by Tyler Bleyendaal for CRUSADERS
HIGHLANDERS 3 vs CRUSADERS 3 after 10 min. Penalty converted by Tyler Bleyendaal for CRUSADERS
HIGHLANDERS 3 vs CRUSADERS 8 after 13 min. Try scored by Israel Dagg for CRUSADERS
HIGHLANDERS 8 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 16 min. Try scored by Andrew Hore for HIGHLANDERS
@Franshark (Comment 8) : FL try for me.
HIGHLANDERS 10 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 17 min. Try converted by Lima Sopoaga for HIGHLANDERS
The Highlanders hitting a great gap and falling short 5 meters from the Saders line as they knock the ball in a tackle.
HIGHLANDERS 13 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 28 min. Penalty converted by Lima Sopoaga for HIGHLANDERS
HIGHLANDERS 13 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 28 min. Penalty attempt not converted by Lima Sopoaga for HIGHLANDERS
HIGHLANDERS 13 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 35 min.
HIGHLANDERS 18 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 39 min. Try scored by Wayne Burley for HIGHLANDERS
HIGHLANDERS 20 vs CRUSADERS 10 after 40 min. Try converted by Lima Sopoaga for HIGHLANDERS
@Franshark (Comment 8) : I have him too
@Franshark (Comment 17) : I’m liking this so far
HIGHLANDERS 20 vs CRUSADERS 10 Half Time
As it’s half time I’ll fill you in on the SA v NZ Odi.
NZ 206 all out
SA 117/1 after 23.2overs.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 19) : I say “so far” because this is the crusaders and we all know what they are capable of.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 19) : @robdylan (Comment 18) : I have a buch of Crusaders in my FL, I don’t like this
5 LMS picks for the Crusaders and none for the Highlanders.
GO HIGHLANDERS!!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 21) :
HIGHLANDERS 20 vs CRUSADERS 13 after 42 min. Penalty converted by Tyler Bleyendaal for CRUSADERS
Highlanders 20 – 18 Crusaders
51 mins
@KSA Shark © (Comment 25) : I wanted to pick Crusaders… I would have been a nerve reck by now
Crusaders try was scored by Andy Ellis and conversion was missed.
HIGHLANDERS 20 vs CRUSADERS 18 after 47 min. Try not converted by Tyler Bleyendaal for CRUSADERs
Penalty Bleyendaal. Crusaders hit the lead.
Highlanders 20 – 21 Crusaders
54 mins
Thompson crashes over the line. Held up. 5m attacking scrum to the Highlanders.
Just woke up and saw the half time score and thought my superbru is going down the toilet… then I turned the game on and the Saders seem to have woken up.
How long are the pauses inbetween the crouch, touch, pause, engage??
Penalty Bleyendaal.
Highlanders 20 – 24 Crusaders
66 mins
Try Hosea Gear!!
Converted from the touchline.
Highlanders 27 – 24 Crusaders
71 mins
Hahaha. Highlanders hoof the ball out for the 2nd time thinking the time is up. Ref says there is still time.
HIGHLANDERS 27 vs CRUSADERS 24 after 79 min. Drop Goal attempt not converted by Tyler Bleyendaal for CRUSADERS
Highlanders win!
FULL TIME
Highlanders 27 – 24 Crusaders
EXCELLENT!!!
Congrats HH and your team.
My SuperBru has taken one helluva nosedive!!
On LMS we have Crusading Shark whose Crusade has come to an end after he went 0 from 2 after 2 rounds of SR.
Waiting for Ice to log on and say “there is the 3rd upset”.
there goes my superbru down the toilet.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 44) :
@lostfish (Comment 46) : 1 from 4 for me so far as well.
I like that others are losing life lines
@KSA Shark © (Comment 48) : At least my Tahs pick was exact margin, so some consolidation there
Tell you what NZ young no.10s looking pretty good. Really liked what I saw of Lima Sopoaga today,also keep an eye out for Aaron Smith
@KSA Shark © (Comment 44) : give us the numbers!
@Rahul (Comment 52) :
175 entered
75 still alive with a lifeline
46 still alive without a lifeline
54 dead
Awesome cant liquidate em now!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 53) : 54 dead! Sounds so terminal
@Rahul (Comment 55) : Their game has been terminated.
Good thing the lifeline was brought back or we’d have 100 dead already.
@RuckingFun (Comment 54) : they were never going to be liquidated. Completely seperate from Otago.