Looked solid on lineout throws and scrum looked much weaker when he was put in the sin bin.
3. Fletcher Newell – 6
Was able to come away with a try but de Groot dominated him early in the scrums.
4. Antonio Shalfoon – 7
Seventeen tackles this week to follow up on 14 last week showing himself to be a pillar of the Crusaders defence while also causing havoc on lineouts.
5. Tahlor Cahill – 7
Looked impressive going forward including a nice line break and offload while also staying solid in defence.
6. Ethan Blackadder – 7
Moved to the other side of the scrum from last week and put in a strong shift with 11 tackles overall.
7. Johnny Lee – 9
Put in a solid performance all round in his debut for the Crusaders and capped it off with two tries to be one of the standout players of the game.
8. Christian Lio‑Willie – 6
Had plenty of touches and made some industrious carries but was taken off shortly before the 60th minute.
9. Noah Hotham – 7
Very strong with box kicks to put the Highlanders under pressure and was able to help his team out of trouble when they were under pressure at scrum time early in the game.
10. Rivez Reihana – 7
Helped control the game with his kicking and carries but made a couple mistakes which would likely be punished on another night.
11. Sevu Reece – 6
Popping up in good positions and filling in where needed. Gave away unnecessary penalty in front of posts to give Highlanders lead near end of first half. Came into the game in the second half.
12. David Havili (c) – 3
Came off the pitch halfway through the first half with a rough looking foot injury, but failed to produce much of an impact on the game before that.
13. Braydon Ennor – 6
Had some loose handling and came off early in the second half but helped his team out in some tricky situations.
14. Chay Fihaki – 5
Made his 50th appearance for the Crusaders and one he might want to forget after a yellow card for his shoulder making contact with Millar’s head.
15. Will Jordan – 8
Showed how important he is to this Crusaders team after not playing last week against the Blues. Excellent early try and solid under the high ball.
Reserves:
16. George Bell – 7
Returned from injury earlier than expected and came on early for Taylor’s yellow card. Had a strong defensive performance including one turnover won.
17. George Bower – 6
Pulled early last week against Blues but made a strong impact on defence this week.
18. Seb Calder – 5
Five tackles made in the 23 minutes he was on the pitch and was part of an improved second half pack.
19. Will Tucker – 3
Entered the pitch with two minutes left on the clock and unable to have a meaningful impact in that time.
20. Xavier Saifoloi – 7
Came on just before the 60th minute and didn’t look out of place while also having a try ruled out.
21. Kyle Preston – 5
Helped keep the Crusaders on top after the good groundwork laid by Hotham.
22. Leicester Fainga’anuku – 7
Came in to the match about the 50-minute mark and put some life into the Crusaders midfield with powerful runs and good defensive play.
23. Dallas McLeod – 6
Came on for Havili early in the game and made a good impression while the Crusaders were in attack.
Highlanders
1. Ethan de Groot – 7
Excellent work in the scrums in the first half but felt slightly limited in the second.
2. Jack Taylor – 5
Poor throwing on lineouts cost the Highlanders in the first half alongside some ill-discipline around the pitch. However, looked strong in scrums.
3. Angus Ta’avao – 6
Made an excellent line break to set up his side’s second try and was a key reason as to why the Highlanders looked dominant at scrums in the first half.
4. Tomás Lavanini – 4
Not the debut the Argentine international would want after coming off in the first half with a head injury.
5. Mitch Dunshea – 3
Struggled at lineouts although not entirely his fault, but did have some ball handling errors in open play and taken off before half time.
6. Te Kamaka Howden – 6
Made the highest number of tackles for his side with 17, but unable to have too much impact going forward.
7. Sean Withy (cc) – 5
Returned to the starting lineup and made 10 tackles, but unable to make a mark on the match going forward.
8. Lucas Casey – 5
Looked strong defensively, but quiet for much of the match.
9. Folau Fakatava – 6
Had impressive work in the kicking game and made a smart decision for the Highlanders first try, but didn’t have much to work with overall.
10. Cameron Millar – 6
Had a strong kicking performance and was able to keep his team in touch before having to depart with a head injury.
11. Jona Nareki – 4
Struggled throughout the match defensively and didn’t look threatening going forward.
12. Timoci Tavatavanawai (cc) – 7
Set up the Highlanders first try with some excellent vision and tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck with some impressive carries, but was caught out in defence once or twice.
13. Tanielu Tele’a – 7
Replaced Jonah Lowe who suffered a shoulder injury last week and managed to score a good try and made himself known in rucks when called upon.
14. Caleb Tangitau – 7
Looked electric every time he touched the ball and gained 84 m overall but lacked opportunities in the second half.
15. Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens – 5
Seemed to struggle under high balls for most of the evening but was able to come away with his name on the score sheet.
Reserves:
16. Soane Vikena – 5
Entered early in the second half and made some good carries but wasn’t able to threaten the Crusaders defence too much.
17. Josh Bartlett – 4
Late call-up on to the bench after Daniel Lienert-Brown was ruled out and was unable to make an impact when he came on.
18. Rohan Wingham – 4
Argentine Lavanini took his starting spot and made just four tackles after coming on about the 55th minute.
19. Oliver Haig – 4
Substituted on late in the first half but unable to have the impact his team would have wanted.
20. Nikora Broughton – 4
Brought on with about 13 minutes remaining in the match and unable to make much of a mark.
21. Veveni Lasaqa – 5
Made some strong carries and tackles when he came on early for Lavanini.
22. Adam Lennox – 3
Brought on too late to have any major impact on the match.
23. Reesjan Pasitoa – 5
Brought on for Millar after his head knock and stayed fairly solid for his time on the pitch.
