Aso takes Tana’s try record as Boyd sticks to the plan
We agreed on a timeframe [about] when it was my turn to finish and his turn to take over and that’s still in place. Chris Boyd
Chris Boyd still wants John Plumtree to be the next Hurricanes head coach.
Plumtree, the defence coach at the defending Super Rugby champions, has been linked with elevation to the All Blacks, in the wake of Wayne Smith’s decision to retire.
Boyd’s an unabashed admirer of Plumtree and hopeful his old mate will be around to see their Super Rugby succession plan through to fruition.
‘‘I think he would do a good job. I think he’s more than capable of doing that job,’’ Boyd said after the Hurricanes’ 61-7 win over the Cheetahs at Westpac Stadium last night.
‘‘Will he go? Your guess is as good as mine. Like other people, when they map out their career paths, he’ll make a decision on whether he wants to stay in the Hurricanes’ organisation and take over from me when it’s my time to go, or whether he’ll go into the All Blacks and work in that environment. They’re not going to appoint, there’s going to be a process is my understanding.
‘‘I don’t know whether he’ll enter that process or not.’’
Plumtree succeeding Boyd at the Hurricanes has ‘‘always’’ been the plan and the preference is for that plan not to change.
‘‘When he was coaching in Ireland with Joe Schmidt and we got our heads together – when there was going to be a change in the Hurricanes – the understanding I had with him was that he wouldn’t run against me as the head coach,’’ Boyd said.
‘‘We agreed on a timeframe [about] when it was my turn to finish and his turn to take over and that’s still in place.’’
Boyd’s contracted until the end of 2018, at which point the headcoaching gig is still expected to become Plumtree’s.
In the meantime, centre Vince Aso scored a hat-trick of tries against the Cheetahs last night to take his season’s tally to 13.
That saw him eclipse the franchise’s old single-season record, held by Tana Umaga.
Beauden Barrett kicked five-from-five for the Hurricanes, in his first goalkicking stint in two months. Much to the surprise of Boyd, who’d indicated Otere Black was going to get first crack.
‘‘I would’ve gone to the TAB and ... oh no, we’re not allowed to do that,’’ Boyd said, to the amusement of those in the Westpac Stadium press room. I would’ve thought that Otere would’ve kicked but they had a little chat during the week and Beaudy decided he was ready to kick and so he did.’’
It was a decent performance from the Hurricanes, particularly on defence.
The Cheetahs had been averaging 31 points against New Zealand opposition this season, so seven was a fair way short of that.