Stars missing but it’s not all doom and gloom
Beaudie’s gone and Ardie’s return is some way off, but Hurricanes fans shouldn’t despair. Liam Hyslop reports in the third of our Super Rugby buildup series.
How does a team replace a two-time World Rugby player of the year and 2019’s best All Black? They don’t.
The Hurricanes have to deal with it as best they can this Super Rugby season after Beauden Barrett left for the Blues and Ardie Savea looks set to miss at least half the season after surgery on his injured knee.
To lose two world-class players in such key positions will have many fans pessimistic about their chances of making the playoffs this season, but such woebegotten feelings should end up being largely misplaced.
While the full squad list might not scream out ‘‘title contender’’, the Hurricanes have more than enough experienced campaigners and promising youth to have themselves in finals contention again in a competition stripped of most of its major talent in a postWorld Cup year.
The South African teams are expected to struggle with most of their World Cup winners now playing in Japan or Europe. The depth in Australian rugby remains light, while the Sunwolves are on their last legs.
Closer to home, every New Zealand team has lost a fair whack of talent, so the key to winning the Kiwi conference will be extracting the most out of last year’s second-tier talent and upand-comers.
The tight five has long been the
weakness in the Hurricanes team, but attempts were made to address that in the off-season. Prop Tyrel Lomax has been brought in from the Highlanders, while lock Scott Scrafton arrived from the Blues.
While those two signings weren’t sexy for Hurricanes fans, they could be the most influential they’ve made in many seasons.
Lomax has been pegged as an All Black of the future, and can guide young front rowers Xavier Numia and Alex Fidow as they try to make the next step up in their development. Ben May is also there to offer his vast knowledge, while they have three very good hookers in Dane Coles, Asafo
Aumua and Ricky Riccitelli.
In the back row, Savea’s absence will be felt, but Du’Plessis Kirifi showed in brief snatches last season that he could be a star of the future in the No 7 jersey. Alongside Gareth Evans and Vaea Fifita, the loose forwards won’t be a weakness for the Canes, even without their influential star.
TJ Perenara remains a toplevel halfback and has ample backup from Jamie Booth and Jonathan Taumateine, but the No 10 jersey is the big concern ahead of the season. Either Jackson Garden-Bachop or Fletcher Smith look set to take over from Barrett, but both are likely to fill the ‘‘game manager’’ role, as opposed to the ‘‘game breaker’’ that
Barrett so often was.
The midfield could be the strongest in the competition with Ngani Laumape potentially pairing up with Jordie Barrett. They have two very promising backups in Billy Proctor and Peter Umaga-Jensen, while Vince Aso is also in the mix to start there or out on the wing.
The outside backs should also be solid as Ben Lam, Wes Goosen and Chase Tiatia are joined by the experience of South African Kobus van Wyk and James Marshall.
The framework is all there for a solid season.
The loss of head coach John Plumtree to the All Blacks might have some effect, but continuity has been kept with assistant coach Jason Holland stepping up. He also has another experienced head coach as an assistant in Chris Gibbes, so there shouldn’t be any issues in the coaching box.
The playoffs will be a minimum requirement but the Hurricanes should have no issues making it that far.