Sunday News

No Roigard, no worry as Canes

- Aaron Goile

Cam who? Even, Ardie who? They might have been the cheeky questions on many a set of lips of cockahoop Hurricanes fans.

Unfancied in most pre-season prediction­s, largely due to a lack of All Blacks (remember that World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea?), Clark Laidlaw’s side continue to press their case as real Super Rugby Pacific title contenders.

That much was clear after they put away the Chiefs 36-23 in Wellington last night to make it 7-0 for this so far golden season, and go four points clear of the Blues and Brumbies at the top of the table.

Significan­tly this was the Canes’ first outing without Cam Roigard, who, fresh off the knee surgery that will keep him out of action for at least six months, was a spectator in the stands at Sky Stadium.

And a fortnight after the country’s top halfback prospect went down and had Kiwi rugby fans’ hearts sunk, the new national coaches, on a week where they had spent time in the Hurricanes’ camp, did not have to go far to find their potential solutions, as both TJ Perenara and the Chiefs’ Cortez Ratima took their time to shine.

Perenara, in particular, sent a reminder that he still has what it takes to add to those 80 test caps for the All Blacks, with a 70-minute, two-try display that saw him catch back up to former team-mate Julian Savea on the Super Rugby try-scoring record chart.

The Hurricanes had a bye week to plan for Roigard’s absence, and in Perenara they did at least have a mighty fine man to fill the void. His praises had been sung by both teams’ coaches in the lead-in to the contest, with Laidlaw professing his side wouldn’t have to change their plays despite the switch in personnel. Indeed, they got plenty of pay out of the 32-year-old, who of course spent all of last year out of the game with his ruptured achilles suffered on the All Blacks’ 2022 northern tour.

He was at his competitiv­e best early, with assistant referee Jono Bredin having his ear chewed by the yappy No 9, who scored the night’s opening try, getting the ball over the line through a pile of bodies, before also going in for another in the 58th minute with a juggle of the ball and spin in the tackle, on the back of brilliant offloads from Kini Naholo and Josh Moorby.

Ratima kept him honest, mind you, and the 23-year-old showed just why is touted for bigger things, too. Perenara got him in one memorable tackle, and there was a little knock on that he was left to rue with the Chiefs hot on attack, but the zippy attacking weapon showed just why he is top-equal of the competitio­n’s tryscoring chart (seven) after a marvellous runaway effort for the Chiefs’ first five-pointer, on a night when he topped the game for running metres (85).But the visitors, who were hit by illness to Anton Lienert-Brown,

which saw him scratched and had Rameka Poihipi start and Quinn Tupaea onto the bench, just couldn’t get much going early on, then were unable to play catchup after the Canes fought back strongly.

They lost Emoni Narawa to a yellow card in the first half at the same time they had Shaun Stevenson leave the park due to a head knock, which he didn’t return from, and their attacking chances were limited, on a night where they ran for just 372 metres compared to the hosts’ 513.

The Canes also recorded 31 defenders beaten to 16, and seven clean breaks to three, throwing 12 offloads to three, as they beat the Chiefs at the game they so often like to play themselves, and while the Canes’ lineout was shaky, their scrum was a thing to behold, laying a very strong platform.

Laidlaw won’t be getting carried away, with a tough two-week away trip coming to Suva then Canberra, as well as the Blues and Chiefs again to come in their run home.

But Hurricanes fans must certainly be daring to dream.

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