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Highlanders No. 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u is seeking support from the rebels.
At AAMI Park, Melbourne: Melbourne Rebels 31 (Jordan Uelese tries 23 minutes, Glen Vaihu tries 35 minutes, Nick Jooste tries 52 minutes, Lukas Ripley tries 56 minutes, Young Tonumaipea tries 74 minutes; Matt To’omua 3 counters) HT: 14 -18 Highlanders Rory van Vugt test 3 minutes, Josh Dickson test 19 minutes, Folau Fakatava 60 minutes, Fetuli Paea test 66 minutes; Marty Banks with, 2 pens, Vilimoni Koroi with)
The Highlanders have reached the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs by the narrowest margin, despite the tenth defeat of the campaign against the Rebels on Sunday.
The 31-30 defeat was enough to secure the lost bonus point they needed to get past the Western Force and finish eighth on the ladder, reserving a clash against the Blues at Eden Park next week.
However, Folau Fakatava made a disastrous appearance.
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Fakatava injected himself with about 20 minutes to go and quickly scored one try and created another with an outrageous mannequin that will surely secure his All Blacks selection.
However, they had to defend their lives in a nervous breakdown after a loose pass from Vilimoni Koroi almost led them to the try which would have eliminated them.
The Highlanders started well, with the Rory van Vugt wing finishing well after just three minutes to give them a perfect start.
It seemed as though Josh Dickson’s strategy involved concentrating on the flanks for their attacks after 12 minutes.
The game was characterized by rough play and many physical challenges on the wet field, but fc showed great heart and had a good game.
Aaron Smith swung in a good chance from the left, but the visitors’ defense were able to clear the ball.
That incident reflected the Highlanders’ inaccuracy with the ball in hand, and they were also guilty of pushing a few passes in good positions.
Number 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u was again among his best, while Josh Timu also made some good meters with his attractions.
However, the back three missed a punch, and van Vugt missed a direct entry in the 52nd minute that led to the Rebels’ third attempt.
At number 10, Marty Banks missed a spark and got stuck after his failure to find the touch of a penalty in the second half proved costly.
However, his substitute Koroi quickly launched a restart to the maximum to aggravate the problems of the Highlanders, and the Rebels swept the field to get their fourth attempt.
Koroi also missed a relatively easy conversion from Fakatava’s try, putting more pressure on his side as he chased the game into the final quarter.
The big moment
The Fakatava manikin to start the play that saw Fetuli Paea score the last try of the Highlanders in the 66th minute saved the season.
The big picture
The Highlanders face the Blues at Eden Park, but they will have to improve out of sight even to be competitive.
Match rating
7/10. The format of the Super Rugby Pacific final has been widely criticized, but it offered a lot of drama over the last weekend between the teams fighting for eighth place on the ladder. The final composition of the playoffs was not decided until the last minute of the last game of the regular season, and the managers will no doubt point to that result.
MVP
Highlanders No. 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u has been virtually leading the side in recent months, and his ability to break tackles has once again been demonstrated in Melbourne. Veteran lock Bryn Evans also made a big change in his return to the starting XV, proving that the class is permanent. Fakatava’s late heroism will rightly steal the headlines, but Mikaele-Tu’u’s overall contribution cannot be ignored.