Goodes slightly worse for wear
A head knock suffered by Reggie Goodes was the most significant aspect of the Hurricanes’ pre-season win over the Blues.
The loosehead prop missed the team’s 2016 playoff run, after being unable to shake the effects of a concussion picked up during the roundrobin thrashing of the Crusaders in Christchurch. Goodes copped another hit against the Blues at Alexandra Park on Saturday and had to be replaced during the first half of the team’s eventual 38-33 victory.
‘‘Reggie just got some blurred vision and as a precaution he came off but, apart from him, there’s the odd bruise and bump but I don’t think anyone else is going to require being kept out of the weekend,’’ Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd.
All the New Zealand Super Rugby sides are off to the inaugural Brisbane Global Tens, where their main goal will be to leave unscathed. Goodes was named in the Hurricanes’ squad of 26 for the event but will presumably be left behind now.
Not because Saturday’s blow was especially serious, more because the popular 25-year-old is developing a bit of a case history.
‘‘He’d been really good [for Wellington] at the back end of the Mitre 10 Cup and then went away with the Barbarians at the end of the year and didn’t have any issues there. Any concussion is a concern, obviously, so he’ll just go through the protocols and we’ll work our way through that,’’ said Boyd.
Having been down this path before, the Hurricanes at least know they have the depth to cope in Goodes’ absence.
‘‘Loni Uhila and Chris Eves are both highly-capable loosehead props and Ben May can play there at a pinch if he needs to, so it’s an area we’ve got pretty good cover in if we need it,’’ Boyd said.
Other than the Goodes situation, there was plenty for Boyd and company to enthuse over following Saturday’s win. Played over four 25-minute quarters, the Hurricanes overcame a 21-12 halftime deficit to record a handy victory.
‘‘Obviously the score wasn’t important and I had a good chat to Tana [Blues head coach Tana Umaga] afterwards and we had a bloody good hit-out actually. It was good for them and good for us,’’ said Boyd.
‘‘For a first hit-out that would be far more worthy than we’d normally have. It’s normally pretty hectic and pretty rushed but both sides played pretty well actually.’’
Fullback Nehe Milner-skudder made his long-awaited return from a shoulder injury, while there was a brace of tries to centre Jonah Lowe to go with others from halfback Kemara Hauiti-parapara, second five-eighth Ngani Laumape and props Jeffery To’omaga-allen and Eves.