Rugby: Smith and McKenzie stake their claim

Damian McKenzie was a threat with ball in hand all night for the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images

On a night which, on the face of it, should have featured nerves and a no-mistakes mentality, two of the smallest players on the field were the standouts and they just happened to be the game's most creative, too.

Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith and Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie - two guys breaking the mould of professional rugby's bigger-is-better trend, and striking a blow for not only the smaller blokes running around the nation's fields but also those who play with a sense of excitement and ability to play what's in front of them rather than to a pre-determined strategy.

Waisake Naholo will rightly make the headlines with his two tries and blockbusting running, but it was Smith who put him across the line both times; firstly with his pace from the back of a scrum and two perfect passes, and secondly with his ability to get on the outside of Andrew Horrell, also on the blindside, and send a flick pass to his big No 14. The first try had the element of surprise about it. For the second the Chiefs were well aware of the danger and inserted two defenders, only for the dynamic duo of Smith and Naholo to construct a try regardless.

Smith has struggled in the past for the Highlanders because he effectively tried to do it all for a battling team. It wasn't until he made the All Blacks that his quality again shone through. Not this year, in a team in which virtually every individual is playing to his full potential.

As for McKenzie, a player who appears to be equally as good at fullback as he is at first-five, he has it all ahead of him in terms of the All Blacks and he will be one probably sooner rather than later.

He is a 20-year-old who plays entirely without fear - both in terms of bravery in a game in which just about everyone is bigger than him, but also the game situation. Would he have got the Chiefs across the line if he was playing at No 10 rather than the steady Andrew Horrell? That might be one for Dave Rennie to think about.

This was one of the best games of the season. The players responded with a skill level which belied the pressure, and so did the people of Dunedin, who filled the Glasshouse with not only their presence but also their noise.

As the Chiefs struck back on halftime with a penalty to take the lead for the first time, it appeared their more clinical style would see them through.

Then came an enthusiastic restart which replicated the beginning of the match for the Highlanders.

For them, that enthusiasm was the key in the end - a performance led by little Aaron Smith which takes them further into the competition and will probably win them new supporters in the process.