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Watch: Highlanders forwards fool All Blacks star with intricate set piece move to score against Chiefs

(Photo / Twitter)

In a first half short on tries, the Highlanders have scored the better of the two in the opening stanza of their Super Rugby Aotearoa clash with the Chiefs in Dunedin.

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Trailing the visitors 7-0 in the 10th minute, the Highlanders were handed the chance to attack from inside their opponents’ 22 via a lineout.

Co-captain Ash Dixon’s throw was reeled in by veteran lock Bryn Evans, who then landed on the ground to help form a rolling maul about 15 metres from the Chiefs’ tryline.

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Flanker and former skipper James Lentjes was on hand to rip the ball away from Evans’ grasp and looked to fling the ball away to fellow loose forward Shannon Frizell, who wrapped around the maul from the blindside to the openside.

The line Frizell ran was designed to draw the Chiefs’ defenders out wide, but what the visitors didn’t anticipate was that the hosts were using the 13-test All Black as a decoy runner.

Instead of actually passing the ball to Frizell, Lentjes dummied before setting off on his own down the short side.

It was in that wide channel near the touchline where Chiefs captain Brad Weber stood when the maul was formed, but Frizell’s decoy line and Lentjes’ dummy fooled the All Blacks halfback, who left his position to chase down after Frizell.

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However, by the time he realised he was chasing the wrong man and that Frizell didn’t have the ball, Lentjes had stormed into open space that was made available by Weber’s misread.

That allowed Lentjes and Dixon to create a two-on-one try-scoring opportunity as the pair honed in on the tryline with only Chiefs first-five Kaleb Trask in their way.

With the ball in two hands, Lentjes forced Trask to hold off for as long as possible before opting to crash through the No 10’s defensive effort right on his own tryline.

Not even the scrambling effort of Weber, who backtracked quickly as soon as he realised he’d misread the play, could stop Lentjes from scoring, much to the delight of the home crowd and Highlanders coaches Tony Brown and Clarke Dermody.

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The try went unconverted, though, and the Chiefs carried a 10-5 lead into half-time.

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RedWarrior 1 hour ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

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