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Dunedin - Highlanders captain Luke Whitelock highlighted his side's kicking game as being vital in their 23-22 win over the British and Irish Lions.
Against the Crusaders the Lions' rush defence was evident, but it was clear the Highlanders had done their homework as they kicked frequently.
Tries from Waisake Naholo and Liam Coltman, along with the boots of Lima Sopoaga and Marty Banks, saw the Highlanders claim a memorable win, with Whitelock explaining afterwards that he was delighted with the success before revealing how they negated that blitz defence.
"We've been preparing and obviously watching the games the Lions have played. Everyone started to roll into town and there was a huge buzz with the Lions supporters arriving. It was a frantic game that went down to the wire and was awesome to be involved in," he told Sky Sports.
"Whatever we wanted to do we wanted to make sure we did it as a team. We got our kick plan a lot better which took away some of their line speed that we knew they were going to bring and I think we handled the pressure moments pretty well."
He added on what the Lions strengths were: "They just keep coming. When they are running flat and at holes when they get in behind you it's pretty hard to stop. They put us under a lot of pressure at times and that resulted in points."
