Watch: Slick Rhys Patchell offload sets up Highlanders try

After two rounds of action, former Wales fly-half Rhys Patchell has made a superb start to his Super Rugby Pacific career with the Highlanders.

A week after the 30-year-old produced a pinpoint long-range miss pass to create a try in his new side’s opening win over Moana Pasifika, he was at it again in round two.

This time it was a Sonny Bill Williams-esque offload to his winger Jona Nareki to set up a try for Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens against the Blues.

Rhys Patchell on Leigh Halfpenny injury

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Rhys Patchell on Leigh Halfpenny injury

Highlanders number ten Rhys Patchell discusses his relationship with currently injured Crusaders fullback, Leigh Halfpenny

This silky piece of handling and a try of his own was not enough to bring the Highlanders the win, however, as they fell to their New Zealand rivals 37-29 in Melbourne.

Take a look at the try:

Out the back, through the gap and over the line 🔥

? Super Rugby Pacific. Highlanders v Blues, live now. Every Match. Ad-free. Live & On Demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.#StanSportAU #SuperRugbyPacific #SuperRound2024 #HIGvBLU pic.twitter.com/4hmVRYQJdy

— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) March 1, 2024

The 22-cap Wales international has made a great start to his Super Rugby career, which is a challenge he recently said he had long wanted to undertake.

“It came as a bit of a surprise to me when I got a phone call saying, ‘do you fancy it?’ As soon as it came across the desk it was something I was pretty keen on, spins my wheels,” Patchell told RugbyPass.

“The opportunity to come down here, challenge myself in a completely different environment. I knew absolutely nobody at the club, wouldn’t know much about the crop of players that the Highlanders had coming through.

“It’s one of those things that wouldn’t have come again. I’ve said to other people before, I didn’t want to get to the end of my career and have lots of great opportunities but didn’t make the most of any of them or hadn’t taken any of them.

“(I) felt this was something that I absolutely wanted to do and fortunately I have a very supportive fiancé who was on board with the idea as well.

“It was pretty quick from going, ‘what do you reckon’ to making a decision around it, and then a long wait after that to actually get your feet on the ground and get going.”