Folau Fakatava returns as Highlanders beat Moana Pasifika 33-24 in trial match

At Queenstown Recreation Ground: Highlanders 33 beat Moana Pasifika 24. HT: 21-5

Folau Fakatava made a successful return to rugby to step up his bid to make the All Blacks squad for the Rugby World Cup.

The Highlanders halfback got through 40 minutes of action in the 33-24 win against Moana Pasifika in Queenstown on Friday – and tested out his knee with some trademark runs in a display that pleased coach Clarke Dermody.

“It was awesome to see him confident and taking the line, and putting himself in the defensive line, which is a point of difference for us,” Dermody said after the game.

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“You don’t want him to be conscious of it. You want him to be free in how he plays.

“So, that was probably one of the pleasing things to come out of the game, to see him get through the amount of work he did.”

Fakatava reinjured his ACL before the All Blacks’ tour of Japan and Europe last year, but decided to skip season-ending surgery and follow a rehabilitation plan over the preseason.

Fakatava was also sent to the sin bin in an eventful first half, when the Highlanders’ maul looked strong as they scored three tries.

However, coach Clarke Dermody wasn’t as pleased with the Highlanders’ second-half fade, when Moana Pasifika scored three tries on the back of some poor Highlanders discipline.

“We weren’t working together on ‘D’ in the second half,” Dermody said. “The other one is just executing. We probably got a bit loose. We didn’t really look after the ball enough.”

English import Freddie Burns got his first taste of New Zealand rugby, replacing Mitch Hunt for the last 30 minutes with the Highlanders leading 28-12.

Burns immediately showed his attacking mindset with a chip kick over the defensive line and didn’t look to be short of confidence.

Sam Gilbert, who again took the goalkicking tee with good effect, had an influential outing for the Highlanders.

Gilbert, who kicked four from four conversions against the Crusaders last week, nailed four from five against Moana Pasifika and showed his versatility in the second half by shifting to second five-eighth to allow Connor Garden-Bachop to come on at fullback.

Dermody confirmed it was a pre-planned tactical ploy to see if Gilbert could cover midfield in Super Rugby, adding that the goalkicking duties were also now “his to lose” after nailing eight from nine kicks over the past two weeks.

“I know they [the goalkickers] compete two or three times a week, and at the moment Sammy is the guy.”

Josh Timu was replaced at halftime but is good to go for next week, while star winger Jona Nareki is in the same boat.

“He got through 50-odd minutes last week and about the same today,” Dermody said. “He is an important player for us so we’re making sure we do his return right.”

The big moment

Jonah Lowe’s try with seven minutes remaining put the result beyond doubt just Moana Pasifika were building some attacking phases. Lowe hacked the ball ahead and raced clear from 50 metres to show what an important acquisition he will be for the Highlanders.

MVP

Loose forward Nikora Broughton was strong off the bench but Gilbert is going to be a very important player for the Highlanders this year if he is a genuine option to cover fullback and midfield.

Match rating 5/10

It was scrappy at times – typical preseason fare – and the Highlanders will be keen to sort out their scrum issues and breakdown work.

The big picture

The Highlanders play the Blues in round 1 in Dunedin on Saturday week, while Moana Pasifika host the Fijian Drua. Both sides have a bit of work to do before then.