Hurricanes future ‘in good hands’
And you thought what the Crusaders did this year was an achievement. Super Rugby’s powersthat-be aren’t about to make it any simpler for a New Zealand side to win the title. Things were loaded enough in the Lions’ favour in 2017, making the Crusaders’ grand final win in Johannesburg a truly remarkable effort.
It was certainly more than Chris Boyd’s Hurricanes could manage, knocked out at the semifinal stage by the Lions at Ellis Park.
‘‘Winning the New Zealand pool is significant and winning the whole round-robin is significant and there’s a little bit of inconsistency in the competition that makes that easier for some than others,’’ Boyd said this week.
The Lions famously finished top of the combined standings this year on the back of having no New Zealand opposition on their schedule. If only the Hurricanes and company had it so good.
‘‘Next year, if the three pools of five come to fruition and if they [Sanzaar] finally get this thing sorted, we play 16 games under the proposed new format, including eight eight home and away local derbies. So that means 50 per cent of our games next year are local derbies and I think the chance of a New Zealand side finishing high up again is going to be really difficult,’’ said Boyd.
Difficult, but not impossible, believes the Hurricanes’ head coach.
There are plenty of variables that can affect a campaign, but good players in jumpers 2, 8, 9, 10 and 15 at least give you a fighting chance.
‘‘If you look at the Hurricanes over the last couple of years, [hooker] Dane Coles is world class. We’ve had Victor Vito and Brad Shields play [at No.8] predominantly and they’re both really good players and TJ [Perenara] and Beaudy [Barrett] are both world class [at halfback and first five-eighth],’’ Boyd said.
‘‘We’ve also been lucky in the last couple of years to be able to pick Jordie Barrett, Nehe MilnerSkudder and James Marshall at fullback and they’re all quality players as well, so our spine’s been strong and I think that’s been really important.’’ And yet, having been finalists in 2015 and champions the following season, the semis were all the Hurricanes could manage this year. Compare this season to last – at least in your mind’s eye – and it’s hard not to think that 2017 was inferior and that the team weren’t as hungry or clinical or hard to break down.
Then Boyd reels off the numbers and in every relevant attacking or defensive category, the Hurricanes were better this season than on last year’s run to the title.
‘‘We won a lot of games comfortably but we failed to win some key close games and we need to work out a way to be more consistent against the better sides.’’
The Hurricanes were the only team to beat the Crusaders in 2017. That win was offset by an ugly loss in Christchurch, home and away defeats to the Chiefs and then the Lions in Johannesburg.
Many people’s perception would be that the team’s occasionally underwhelming tight five could be held responsible for those.
‘‘The Highlanders won the 2015 Super Rugby title with an unfashionable forward pack and we won the 2016 Super Rugby championship with a forward pack that wasn’t full of highlyranked players,’’ Boyd said.
‘‘You’d have to say that the Crusaders won it this year with basically an All Black forward pack, so I think it’s important [to have a well-performed tight five]. But if you’re smart and you work your game around the strengths of the pack and the strengths of the team, you don’t have to have the best forward pack in the world to be the best team in the world.’’
Some of these things go beyond talent or brawn. A huge amount of talking and planning takes place before teams ever hit the park.
Cory Jane, Mark Abbott and Callum Gibbins were integral to every aspect of the team but Boyd tends to recruit on character as much as talent and is confident new leaders will emerge.
‘‘My experience is that when you’ve got good men, when people step aside other good men will step up.
‘‘Brad Shields has been really important in that space; he’s grown into a genuine leader. We’re excited about Gareth Evans coming to us from the Highlanders. Gareth’s a Hawke’s Bay boy, he’s very influential in their group and he’s a good team man and he’ll make a really good contribution on and off the field.
‘‘We picked up Ihaia West, who’s been a big playmaker for Hawke’s Bay and the Blues, and he’ll add value to the environment, so I’m pretty encouraged with the organic growth.
‘‘Nehe’s starting to blossom, Jeff To’omaga-Allen’s starting to blossom so we’ve got a crop of young men who have the best interests of the Hurricanes at heart and we’re in good hands there.’’