Highlanders assistant coach Riki Flutey and form midfielder Scott Gregory are both wary of the high-scoring Waratahs before their meeting in Dunedin on Saturday, a game they may need to win without the services of Shannon Frizell.
The All Blacks flanker left the field in the final seconds of the Highlanders’ win against the Rebels in Sydney on Sunday, and although it did not appear too serious Flutey said on Tuesday that Frizell’s availability was uncertain.
“Shannon injured his ankle from the kickoff [after the Rebels’ late try] so I’m not to sure where he is in and around that,” Flutey said.
The Highlanders are likely to give Frizell every chance to play, but the quick turnaround from Sunday’s game means they may have to shift Hugh Renton to No 6, with Kazuki Himeno starting in the No 8 jersey.
Irrespective of who starts, the Highlanders have taken notice of the Waratahs’ ability to score plenty of points against Kiwi opposition, even though they are still winless this year.
“They haven’t won a game but they are a good side,” said Flutey, who had already done his homework on the Australians.
“They’ve got some athletes scoring an average four tries a game, they’re getting lots of turnovers.
“I think their average is 30 points a game, just in the trans-Tasman games. We’re going to respect them.”
Waratahs midfielder Izaia Perese caused the Crusaders some issues on Saturday, bulldozing over Leicester Fainga’anuku for a try, and Flutey said the midfield battle was going to be crucial.
“We encourage our boys to look at their opposites, their individuals, their strengths and weaknesses, and we’ll put plans around those,” he said.
Highlanders No 12 Gregory will butt heads with Perese at some stage at Forsyth Barr Stadium, but even talking about the added physical demands of the midfield brought a smile to his face on Tuesday.
