It was good to see Crotty have another strong game (the weak missed tackle on Ellison aside). He has really struggled with injuries in recent years - if he can remain injury free he has the potential to push for higher hours. Likewise Quentin MacDonald has really struggled with injuries too, so it was great to see him have a strong match - his running/handling skills are phenomenal for a hooker.
Man of the match for me though was Sam Whitelock. He was everywhere, both in attack and defense, and dominated in the air. McCaw continues to get better every week, and Read looked strong too. In the backs Ellis had a great game - he certainly has the AB's 9 jersey sewn up at the moment. Carter ran the attack well, and his kicking was pretty good. Guildford looked sharp too, but Dagg was again pretty quiet.
Hard to pickout standouts in the Highlanders given they were comprehensively beaten. Aaron Smith had a pretty good game at 9, though lacks the complete game that Ellis possess. Ellison was probably the pick of the Highlanders for me, looking dangerous on attack, and solid on defense - he certainly deserves his AB's call-up. Both Gear and Ben Smith were pretty quiet, but I'm sure they would have been far more effective had they been part of the Crusaders backline!
