Pryor makes fair fist of debut with Highlanders

SUPER CHANCE: Recent Super Rugby debutant Dan Pryor is tackled while representing his Northland province in a match versus Waipu late last year.PHOTO/JOHN STONE

Taniwha loose forward Dan Pryor made a promising debut for the Highlanders Super Rugby outfit on Saturday night, despite the side going down 26-20 to the Crusaders in Dunedin.

In front of a full house at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Pryor came off the bench early in the second half to replace No7 John Hardie.

With this being his first official Super Rugby match since signing with the Highlanders last year, Pryor didn't waste any time making his presence felt around the field.

"It was full on but I was happy to get that amount of game time and I'm pretty chuffed really," Pryor said yesterday before heading out for a surf at Dunedin's Tomahawk Beach.

"I wasn't sure how much time I was going to get. Jamie [coach Jamie Joseph] didn't indicate anything, so I was just ready for whatever."

Inside the final quarter of the game, Pryor made his impact felt around the ruck area as well as with the ball in hand.

His impressive dash toward the tryline deep into the Crusaders 22m line could have sealed a much-needed try for the Highlanders. However, he was brought down between the 5m line and the goal.

Despite that Pryor said nearly scoring a try on debut "wasn't on the cards to begin with", and he was just stoked experiencing a taste of top-level rugby. "I got a pass from Ben Smith and thought Robbie Fruean was going to come in for a spot tackle so I held off then had a crack but just got dragged down, unfortunately.

"We had a lot of opportunity but made little mistakes like dropping the ball and not executing our moves at the right times."

The new Highlanders signing said he was also relieved to play for the home side of the Forsyth Barr Stadium faithful, having experienced "a bit more booing when playing for the Taniwha" at the Dunedin ground.

"I've played there before but obviously on the other end of all the cheering so it was awesome to get out there."

Looking ahead to next week's encounter against the Reds, Pryor is confident he can build on his knowledge base and fulfil a versatile role within the loose forward roster.

"I think just nailing down my core roles as a six and the other loosy positions is important. The more I know, the more comfortable I'll be getting used to this level of footy.

"The more games I play, the better I'll [get] so when I get out there's no surprises."

The Highlanders will host the Queensland Reds on Friday, 7.35pm at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.