Broken back has

1. Now what for the Hurricanes?

The timing of Spencer’s departure isn’t ideal. Not when the Hurricanes are searching for their first win in the SRA, and not when their next opponents are the Chiefs who are 0 and 3 and are probably still fuming about the controversial try awarded to Crusaders fullback Will Jordan in Christchurch last weekend.

But let’s throw the Hurricanes a bone; it’s not as though they aren’t used to upheaval.

Before this campaign began they lost star firstfive Beauden Barrett to the Blues. Then coach John Plumtree accepted a job as the All Blacks forwards mentor. Assistant Jason Holland was promoted.

Remember when former coach Chris Boyd was replaced after the 2018 season? He made it clear he wanted to stay in Wellington. But the job had been promised to Plumtree. So Boyd was squeezed out.

Boyd, now in charge of English club Northampton, must be observing these latest developments with interest. That title win in 2016 seems a long time ago.

2. Club rugby is back in vogue and it’s great.

Nice to see All Blacks back rower Ardie Savea having a run for his club, Oriental-Rongotai, in Wellington last weekend.

Savea enjoyed himself by all accounts. This was a win-win for everyone: Savea, his club and the sport. Kiwis love it when high-class athletes give back to the community.

This weekend ex-All Black Dan Carter, now a Blues man, is going to have a burst for his Southbridge club in Canterbury.

At a time when rugby, like many businesses in a post-Covid world, is struggling it’s gratifying to see men like Savea and Carter remember where they are from.

Let’s hope the NZ Rugby board members take note. They need to find ways to reconnect the game with the people. If that means encouraging more All Blacks to represent clubs, then so be it.

Hearing administrators and coaches say full-time professionals shouldn’t be let loose on weekend warriors is just a cop-out.

3. NZ Rugby has got the selection criteria wrong for the North v South game.

Telling us this will be a genuine inter-island fixture is like gifting fans a free milkshake, and then flavouring it with a tablespoon of horse manure.

Quit the spin, and admit it’s an All Blacks trial.

4. In case you didn’t notice it, Christchurch still doesn’t have a decent stadium.

If you thought last weekend’s game between the Crusaders and Chiefs was ugly, thanks to the rain and cold, spare a thought for the 12,000 supporters in attendance.

You wouldn’t have blamed the older folk if they had packed a personal locator beacon, in case they got whacked by hypothermia.

New Zealand Rugby believes a five-team Super Rugby Aotearoa competition is ‘‘unsustainable'' but is keeping an open mind to what the future could look like, including a trans-Tasman option with Australia or even extending the number of New Zealand teams.

‘‘We've got to be open to all sorts of options,'' NZ Rugby chairman Brent Impey said in an interview with Stuff.

NZ Rugby's decision on the future of Super Rugby will be one of its most significant in its recent history. Even before Covid-19 hit, the competition was struggling to engage supporters in the way it once did.

Despite four New Zealand teams making the finals, crowds fell by 6 per cent in 2019 while Sanzaar partners Australia and South Africa had issues of their own, with Australian Super Rugby teams struggling to be competitive since 2013.

The way New Zealanders have embraced Super Rugby Aotearoa has confirmed their preference for games between Kiwi sides, and Impey said that message was coming through loud and clear in the booming attendances and TV audiences.

‘‘Certainly from a New Zealand perspective, we know what the public want . . . and we've known for a long time what the public want,'' Impey said. ‘‘They want the derbies.''

Adding New Zealand teams would create an extra layer of excitement for supporters but would be a complex process. However, one thing seems clear: a repeat of the five-team format in 2021 is unlikely to be on the cards.

‘‘The challenge is that it's pretty hard to run a sustainable competition with five teams.

‘‘It worked perfectly this year but going longerterm, it's not really a sustainable model.''

That means the door remains open to Australia, particularly as a trans-Tasman competition would still offer New Zealand fans a healthy share of derbies while also providing NZ Rugby with a partner without disrupting the Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders, Blues or Hurricanes.

Cantabrians will be stuck with the humble ‘‘temporary’’ stadium in Addington until at least 2023. The good news? There isn’t any. The waiting continues.

5 Pick a winner?

Go for the Crusaders over the Highlanders, and the Chiefs to compound the Hurricanes’ misery. And if you’re in Dunedin, be thankful for the enclosed arena.

A New Zealand motor racing driver who is 95 per cent healed from a broken back suffered in a Toyota Racing Series crash is determined to be back on track this summer.

Chelsea Herbert, 21, was involved in a nasty crash at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park in January.

Remarkably, the Auckland driver says the crash has made her stronger and more focused despite suffering two compression fractures to her T11 and T12 vertebrae.

‘‘Breaking my back was only a hurdle, not a road block,’’ Herbert said.

‘‘The accident was unfortunate but it has had an overall positive impact on me as a driver.

‘‘I am even more driven to prove to myself that I can do better and that I can come back stronger,’’ Herbert said.

‘‘I currently feel as though I’m sitting at 95 per cent and it’s only been five months since the injury, including two [months] wearing the back brace.’’

Now she is nearing full fitness, Herbert’s attention is already turning to another Toyota Racing Series (TRS) campaign after her 2020 championship ended abruptly in only the second of five rounds.

‘‘I’m totally focused on being on the TRS grid when it forms up again, hopefully in early 2021,’’ she said.

Herbert has managed to use