Canes pack provides solid platform
For the first time in a long time the Hurricanes’ scrum looks rock solid.
The tight five has long been perceived as the weakness for the Hurricanes, but across the first two weeks of this season, they have delivered quality ball to co-captain and halfback TJ Perenara to work off at scrum time.
Perenara has had been enjoying their work, but said the backs had yet to full capitalise from that good platform.
‘‘Our pack has been awesome for us. I know they put a lot of work into our scrum to make sure they give us as backs service that we expect. That’s what they’ve been doing.
‘‘I think week one [27-0 loss to Stormers], we got that service and us as backs, we didn’t capitalise on it. That’s something we wanted to right in week two [26-23 win over Jaguares] and the opportunities we got, we launched well.
‘‘It’s about intertwining those two things as forwards and backs, getting that solid platform, and then executing post that.’’
Tyrel Lomax has been a big part of that and shapes as the signing of the season for the Hurricanes at tighthead prop.
Coach Jason Holland said he had been leading by example. ‘‘Lowey is going special at tighthead and the boys are following him.
‘‘We’re hoping to use that scrum and some of the things with our maul as a real opportunity for us to attack this week.’’
This week sees them take on the Sharks in Wellington tonight, with the Durban-based team fresh from a 42-20 thrashing of the Highlanders in Dunedin last weekend.
The Sharks used their kicking game effectively and pounced on any turnover ball to counter-attack with the ferocious pace of their back three. They’ve also got a big forward pack and a six-two split of forwards to backs on their bench.
They were forced into one change from the team which beat the Highlanders, but it was a big one, as first-five Curwin Bosch flew home to deal with a family bereavement. He will be replaced by Super Rugby rookie Boeta Chamberlain.
Perenara said they would need to be at their best to beat the Sharks.
‘‘They’re a good team. Kick very well, defend very well, and they’ve got some outside backs who can score from anywhere on the field.
‘‘They hurt the Highlanders off the counter-attack last week off messy play . . . got the ball into some of those fast dudes’ hands and away they went.
‘‘We’ve got to limit their opportunities off broken play, hopefully apply some pressure on their kick game and then just be sound offensively and defensively.’’
Perenara has welcomed back his co-captain Dane Coles this week after the latter skipped their trip to South Africa and Argentina in favour of a slower load buildup through the early part of the season.
‘‘Having Colesy back in the environment is always a positive thing for us,’’ Perenara said. ‘‘He’s a legend of the club and of the game and for us when we have him out there we look forward to that.’’
Coles will start from the bench with Asafo Aumua getting the nod in the run-on team ahead of Ricky Riccitelli.