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Tony Brown wasn’t interested in looking up the ladder or being carried away by the consequences of his team’s surprising victory against the Crusaders.
Not after the week they’d had. Highlanders coach Brown was more interested in his team making amends and earning some “respect.”
“It just fixes a couple of mistakes, especially for our supporters, our fans and past players who have worn the jersey,” Brown said after the 33-12 victory in Christchurch on Friday night.
It was Brown who took “two seconds” last Sunday to decide to retire six players, including front-line players Josh Ioane, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u and Sio Tomkinson, for violating team protocol.
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The Highlanders not only lost a beat without them, but produced one of their best performances of all time to snap a seven-game losing streak against their neighbors.
“They will be disappointed. They were disappointed when they found out that they couldn’t be selected. They are part of our team and they will be looking forward to training again and trying and showing that they should be selected, ”said Brown.
Martin Hunter / Photosport
Highlanders co-captain Ash Dixon, left, and Siate Tokolahi celebrate their team’s upset victory against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday night.
However, that will be easier said than done before the Highlanders’ home game against the Chiefs next weekend, given the performances of those who filled their boots.
Center Mitch Hunt, midfielder Thomas Umaga-Jensen and number 8 Kazuki Himeno were all quality players in what was only the Highlanders’ 12th win against the Crusaders since the competition began in 1996.
“That is rugby. If you give someone a chance and they take it, then you lose the right, “said Brown.
Another Highlander standout was wing Billy Harmon, who moved south after reigning champion Crusaders didn’t offer him another deal after last season.
Martin Hunter / Photosport
Crusaders assistant Scott Hansen, left, and Highlanders coach Tony Brown, pictured in Christchurch on Friday night, have worked together in Japan in the past.
After scoring one try and making 13 tackles, the team’s best, he admitted that he had been waiting a long time for a shot with his old team in his hometown.
“Nobody really gave us a chance this week, but none of that matters, we believed in ourselves. I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time, this game, at my house, and I just have to enjoy the moment. “
Giving the Crusaders just their eighth loss to Scott Robertson since 2017 not only lifts the Highlanders off the bottom of the ladder, but keeps their hopes alive of reaching the decider.
Brown credits his leaders for that, given that it was they who regrouped the team after Brown signed the law into law last week.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
The Highlanders celebrate after Connor Garden-Bachop scored a second-half try against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday night.
“I think they are the standards that we expect and it is the standard that the leaders set at the beginning of the campaign. Nobody is bigger than the team, the team always comes first. I think for us it’s a line in the sand and we can build from there.
“As soon as we got those guys moving forward, and we got ready, the leaders did an amazing job this week building our team and built the faith around coming here and doing something almost every New Zealander thought it was. impossible. . “
Martin Hunter / Photosport
Crusaders support Joe Moody, left, and former teammate Mitch Hunt hug after the Highlanders beat the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday night.
Robertson was quick to congratulate Brown and the Highlanders, knowing full well that they vastly outnumbered their team, which had only lost a previous home game under their supervision.
On a night when the Crusaders fell and lacked precision, the fifth-year head coach lamented his 22 errors, many of them inaccurate passes and handling errors.
Peter Meecham / Getty Images
The Crusaders are huddled after their shocking 33-12 loss to the Highlanders in Christchurch on Friday night.
Now, Robertson’s Crusaders must beat the Hurricanes in Wellington next Sunday to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
“Yes, we pride ourselves that these events don’t have to happen to get us excited, but it’s definitely a different feeling. We are suffering, ”said Robertson.
“We were ready for the game, we had the understanding that we wanted to put on a really proud performance, but they did it to us.
“The effort was high for us, the precision was poor.”
