HANGING IT ALL ON THE TIGHT FIVE
This is a team to contend for the title. Maybe not win it, but certainly contend.
Fourth in the standings last year, and tipped out in the semifinals by the Crusaders, top-four should be their destination again.
Whether they can kick on to the final will partly depend on what Crusaders coach Scott Robertson can coax out of his team again.
Winning back-to-back titles must have taken some toll on the Crusaders, many of whom are now firmly in the World Cup frame.
The Hurricanes are good enough to be 2019 Super Rugby champions, but only if the Crusaders are content not to be.
Titles are won on defence, set-piece dominance and reliable goalkicking and none of those count among the Hurricanes’ obvious attributes.
John Plumtree’s ascension to the head coach role means those deficiencies are likely to receive extra attention this year.
The Hurricanes will still be exciting and generate points, as you’d expect from a side with their backline talent, but Plumtree will set his stall on bringing greater solidity to the team.
Whether the Hurricanes have the tight forwards to turn that hope into reality remains to be seen. Their 2018 struggles against sides such as the Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders and Brumbies would suggest not.
Some players bristled at the suggestion the team weren’t good enough up front in 2018. That would be fine, if they then turned around and did something about it.
Instead they went to Christchurch for their semifinal, where the 30-12 beating showed up all of the team’s obvious shortcomings and sent valuable Hurricanes contributors such as Brad Shields, Michael Fatialofa and Chris Boyd o to the English Premiership on a disappointing note.
If fit, hooker Dane Coles would be a welcome addition to the tight five, along with emerging tighthead prop Alex Fidow. That’s o set by the loss of Fatialofa at lock.
Otherwise, it’ll be up to the usual Hurricanes’ tight-five suspects to try and lift their own game and hope the Crusaders drop theirs.