Hurricanes make switch at No 10
Jackson Garden-Bachop has taken the No 10 jersey off Fletcher Smith.
Hurricanes coach Jason Holland has reacted swiftly in the wake of his side’s shocking 27-0 loss to the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend, thrusting Garden-Bachop into first fiveeighth and relegating Smith to the bench for the Super Rugby round-two match against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning (NZ time).
Holland has made one other significant change to the run-on team, giving Asafo Aumua a start ahead of Ricky Riccitelli at hooker.
The Hurricanes were left redfaced following the heavy loss to the Stormers at Newlands; in addition to being unable to post any points, their execution was woeful and their big boys in the backline, usually one of their major weapons, didn’t do nearly enough to stress the opposition defenders.
Given the way the Jaguares clinically savaged the Lions in the second half of the 38-8 victory in Buenos Aires last weekend, there is a real chance the Hurricanes will be embarrassed if they can’t find ways to add rocket fuel to their attack.
‘‘Their [the Jaguares] victory was impressive and they dominated the Lions in all areas,’’ Holland said.
‘‘There’s also a lot of hype for the team over here after their strong 2019 campaign,’’ he said. Holland isn’t joking, either. The Jaguares, who lost to the Crusaders in last year’s final, may have lost a clutch of internationals in the wake of the World Cup in Japan but that has done little to stall their form in
Hurricanes: Jordie Barrett, Wes Goosen, Billy Proctor, Ngani Laumape, Ben Lam, Jackson Garden-Bachop, TJ Perenara (capt), Gareth Evans, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Reed Prinsep, Scott Scrafton, James Blackwell, Tyrel Lomax, Asafo Aumua, Fraser Armstrong. Reserves: Ricky Riccitelli, Tevita Mafileo, Alex Fidow, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Vaea Fifita, Jamie Booth, Fletcher Smith, Vince Aso.
Super Rugby.
Backed by their loyal fans, they will demand a higher standard from each other against Holland’s men.
Garden-Bachop, who came off the bench to play just 16 minutes in Newlands, deserves to get more support from his fellow backs than what Smith received last weekend.
It would be folly for the Hurricanes to blame their poor effort against the Stormers on Beauden Barrett’s defection to the Blues (when he turns up there in mid-April), the unavailability of ace loose forward Ardie Savea because of a knee injury or former coach John Plumtree’s decision to join the All Blacks coaching staff.
Senior players need to stand up, and quickly, or there is a real chance the Hurricanes will return to New Zealand without a single competition point from two games.
Any backline that boasts All Blacks TJ Perenara, Ngani Laumape and Jordie Barrett, as well as wings in Ben Lam and Wes Goosen, has the ability to make line breaks – of which there were precious few in Cape Town.
It will be up to the Hurricanes pack to help them on their way, or suffer the consequences.