Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph praised the performance of Finn Hurley after the inexperienced full-back shone in his side's 29-21 Super Rugby Pacific win over the Blues, scoring two tries for his injury-hit team on Saturday.
The 21-year-old led the Highlanders' fightback as they trailed 14-3, scoring a superb solo try in the 30th minute when he chipped into space from inside his own half before racing through to collect possession and sprint to the line.
Hurley added a second in the 55th minute when he finished off a blistering team move, diving over to score having been given a clear path through the Blues' defence by Folau Fakatava's rapid release as the home side battled back to win.
"He's got massive potential, you saw it tonight," Joseph said.
"He's like all rugby players, he gets ahead of himself sometimes but I'll let him go I reckon. Let him be himself, give him confidence and coach him to understand balance.
"I think he got it right tonight."
Hurley's showing was a stand-out for a side that has been dealing with a rash of injuries and held on to win despite a red card for prop Daniel Lienert-Brown leaving them with 13 men for 20 minutes in the second half.
Joseph put his team through a punishing training regime ahead of the new season and he credited his team's physical conditioning for their strong performance against the reigning Super Rugby Pacific champions.
"I think you see our players, in terms of their fitness levels, are fine and that's one area where we're ahead of teams," he said.
"But fitness alone isn't enough. The boys have confidence around what they can do on the field.
"I thought we grew a bit today around our intelligence when we were under pressure. A lot of teams against the Blues would have just thrown the towel in and we got better. That's a nice thing."
