The Highlanders and Chiefs have gotten their 2023 campaigns off to positive starts with preseason wins over the Crusaders and Moana Pasifika, respectively.
The Chiefs piled on the points at Mt Smart Stadium to earn a 48-7 victory over Moana Pasifika but the scoreboard was slightly misleading, with the Pacific hosts showing their potential for moments throughout and challenging their opposition
"It was good to get started, I thought the Chiefs were outstanding," Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger said.
"Probably a couple of lessons around the collision; their intensity at the collision was really good and also their patience.
"We had opportunities to build pressure and weren’t quite patient enough, the guys got a bit excited and that was probably the two key things that came out of it.
"In the second half we started to build some pressure, we controlled that last 10 minutes of the game and showed our game... a couple of guys really stepped up."
Samipeni Finau scored the opening try just before the first quarter finished off a pinpoint Damian McKenzie pass before the Chiefs playmaker set up the second score with a feed to Etene Nanai-Seturo.
Pita Gus Sowakula then added to the Chiefs' total off the back of the scrum near Moana Pasifika’s line before wing Liam Coombes-Fabling added the finishing touches to the half by converting a turnover ball near the Chiefs' posts to a 80m runaway try.
Danny Toala managed to get Moana Pasifika on the board in the second half but not without his side conceding four more tries.
Further south at Weston Park near Oamaru, the Highlanders pipped the Crusaders 35-33 after an impressive comeback over the defending champions.
In the spirit of preseason, the two South Island franchises ran out different lineups for each half and for the Crusaders, having the names Joe Moody and Jack Goodhue featuring was enough to be smiling about.
The All Blacks duo made successful returns from injury with Goodhue scoring in the first half and looking comfortable back in the No.13 jersey while Moody showed he's still a powerhouse at the scrum in his 30 minutes of play.
The pair helped the Crusaders carve out a 27-6 lead at halftime before the Highlanders came back with a vengeance via their young hooker Jack Taylor.
Taylor, 19, ran in two tries in the second half to spearhead his side's comeback win; the second being the game-winner in a stunning passage of play any back would be proud of.
With 90 seconds left, Taylor ran on to an offload from Josh Dickson and kicked it ahead to catch the covering defence offguard before recovering the ball and putting it down to win the game.
Highlanders first-five Mitch Hunt conceded he didn't know Taylor had such pace in him.
"I think I learned a little bit about him today with just how quick he is," Hunt said.
Hunt added it was a positive sign for what his side is building in the deep south.
"There’s also an awesome core of young guys that are coming from this region that are going to be stalwarts at this club for a long time I think."
Preseason action continues today with the Blues taking on the Hurricanes.
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