Barrett and his backup boys
It’s tempting to simply write Beauden Barrett. The end. Such is the first five-eighth’s command over proceedings right now, the Hurricanes appear impregnable. They’re not, of course. No team is. But there’s a solidity about their rugby that’s rare, by their standards.
Barrett symbolises it. Flake is a slightly disrespectful word, but Barrett resembled one as recently as April’s 28-27 loss to the Chiefs. Some might prefer flawed genius to flake, because some of the things Barrett did in that game were astonishingly good.
It’s just that others were astonishingly bad. Those lapses are less frequent now, partly as a result of the confidence Barrett gained from his performances for New Zealand in June’s test series against Wales and long may that continue.
Barrett’s not doing this alone, though, which means making a case on behalf of the Hurricanes isn’t difficult.
Dane Coles deserves massive credit for what this team achieved in winning home advantage for the playoffs. Because he’s the skipper it’s tempting to say Coles has created a side in his own image and it wouldn’t be entirely untrue, either.
The hooker is a man who backs down to no-one. He’s someone who scraps and niggles and never knows when he’s beaten and, as corny as it sounds, they are qualities that the team appear to have taken on too.
The Hurricanes possess undeniable star power and players capable of individual moments of brilliance. But it’s men such as Brad Shields, Reggie Goodes, Mark Abbott, Ben May, Callum Gibbins and Jason Woodward that can be the difference between winning and losing.
Success is about more than playing. Attitude and work ethic and selflessness matter just as much and, while you always need your stars to shine, you won’t win without the squad players and back-ups contributing too. Throw it all together and the Hurricanes have all the ingredients to be champions.