Highlanders want Smith to win

Do it for Aaron. That’s really the only motivation the Mountaineers need tonight.

As everyone knows, the game against the Reds at Forsyth Barr Stadium has a lot riding on it as the Highlanders must win to stay in the play-off hunt and salvage what has been a generally disappointing season. The team is chasing competition points and the players get their penultimate chance to impress as they look ahead to next year’s selection.

In truth, it’s all about Aaron Smith and the Highlanders’ duty to send out their most outstanding leader – he still has at least one game left for the club, and potentially more if the unlikely play-off qualification becomes a reality – but it’s Dunedin’s farewell – with a bright victory over the Australians.