A sunny Dunedin afternoon hosted two groups wanting to make their means again into the playoff image on Saturday, in a sport each would have been focusing on as an enormous alternative within the context of their respective seasons.
The Highlanders began with extra gusto, however the Force discovered their toes as the primary half wore on and ended the interval with two fast tries and the lead.
The guests dropped off the tempo within the second half, although, and regardless of producing momentum and scoring twice in fast succession simply after the hour mark, finally fell to a 39-31 defeat underneath the roof.
Here are some takeaways from the competition.
Crucial miss from Force
Since Super Rugby Pacific shifted to a six-team playoffs mannequin, the margin for error all through the season has dropped immensely.
When going through one of many solely two groups that completed beneath them in 2025, the Force should have been contemplating this fixture a must-win to achieve the postseason in 2026.
It’ll sting extra as a result of the Force had their probabilities, and have been dominating areas just like the lineout and possession.
But tackling at 75 per cent and making simply two linebreaks makes life very tough in Super Rugby, and the Force’s lack of X-factor has put a number of pressure on their stars, Carlo Tizzano and Ben Donaldson. To hold these gamers firing on all cylinders deep into the season, Simon Cron should make some selections on programs and rotation.
The membership’s subsequent sport is in opposition to the Hurricanes in Wellington, earlier than a bye week offers them an opportunity to relaxation and reset.
Rennie’s males
New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie says he is aware of how he needs the crew to play, and he’ll choose gamers who can deliver his gameplan to life.
What former gamers have mentioned about their time underneath Rennie is that there’s huge emphasis on the breakdown, which, together with Rennie’s personal feedback about wanting his All Blacks to be “brilliant at the basics”, offers a robust indication of what traits the coach shall be in search of when choosing his first squad.
All of this seemingly bodes effectively for a participant like Timoci Tavatavanawai, who, as normal, was an absolute weapon on the breakdown in opposition to the Force. The midfielder had two breakdown steals within the first half and challenged all through, sticking near the motion whereas trying to find alternatives.
Jack Taylor’s breakdown nous can be an attribute that received’t damage the 22-year-old’s All Blacks prospects transferring ahead, with Ethan de Groot and Veveni Lasaqa additionally profitable turnovers on the breakdown.
Revenge is bitter, revenge is sweet
Nathan Hastie is seemingly loving life in Western Australia after beginning his Super Rugby profession within the Deep South, having began all 4 rounds so far and performing effectively all through.
The halfback’s kicking sport was an enormous function of the match for the Force, and put his former crew’s backfield underneath constant strain. The 24-year-old didn’t carry the ball all that usually, however when he did, his former teammates welcomed him dwelling with some punishing defence. The Highlanders have been clearly completely satisfied to see their outdated mate, and it added some spice to the competition.
On the flip facet, Reesjan Pasitoa’s transfer from the Force to the Highlanders has had a barely shaky begin, however the playmaker was as much as the duty of burying his former membership with a late penalty kick that, crucially, pushed the hosts’ result in eight.
These narratives made the afternoon’s motion that rather more gratifying, highlighting the fantastic thing about participant motion in sport.
Super Rugby Pacific’s greatest playmaking fullback
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens is constant his rise as one among New Zealand’s premier fullbacks and has a transparent level of distinction as an All Blacks candidate.
The Taranaki man is a try-assist machine, with scoring alternatives created by way of kick and go, including much more venom to his fellow exterior backs’ scoring prowess.
The Highlanders are kicking greater than every other crew in 2026, and kicks invite extra kicks, which means Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens is getting loads of utilization within the Highlanders backfield. On Saturday afternoon, he led his crew in carries and take a look at assists.
The 24-year-old’s type is nothing new, both, with Taranaki’s competitiveness within the NPC and his latest All Blacks XV picks verifying his high quality.
