RUNNING ALONG
Why the Hurricanes have kicked the habit
No kicking please, we’re the Hurricanes.
Between them, Hurricanes captains TJ Perenara and Dane Coles have pointed to the posts just five times this season. The Barrett brothers – Jordie and Beauden – have been successful with three of those penalties attempts and don’t sound like they’ll boot a fourth anytime soon.
Going up in increments of three wasn’t going to cut it for the Hurricanes the last time they met the Crusaders.
They needed a big win at Christchurch’s AMI Stadium if they were to avoid travelling to South Africa for Super Rugby’s playoffs.
In the end their 35-10 win set up a run of home matches that culminated in a maiden title, so you’re dreaming if you think the Hurricanes are going to bother with penalties this time.
‘‘We didn’t kick any goals there last year and we haven’t been doing too many lately so, to be honest, I’m pretty relaxed around that and TJ, particularly, has a philosophy around pressure and likes territory as part of [building] pressure, rather than keeping the scoreboard moving,’’ Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd said.
‘‘We’ve had some discussions but at the end of the day, again, the coaching group will have some discussions before the game but [the players] will make the decision on the field.’’
That’s the Boyd way. He and his staff have been working on this Crusaders game since Wednesday last week. Now’s the time when they step back and leave it to the players.
Boyd’s is not a prescriptive approach. He ensures the players are armed with all the information or tools they need to win and then it’s up to them.
The most notable aspect of the team he’s picked for Saturday is the loose trio.
Openside flanker Callum Gibbins is out with a bung shoulder and Boyd’s made two positional switches to cover that.
It’s arguably one too many, with Brad Shields shifting from blindside flanker to No 8 and Ardie Savea from No 8 to openside. Cantabrian Reed Prinsep starts at blindside, having been a No 8 in his previous appearances this season.
The curiosity is that Shields’ switch comes just days after All Blacks coach Steve Hansen included him in a list of candidates to play No 8, should Kieran Read not to be fit for the start of the international season.
Boyd played the move down, indicating the numbers on the jumpers might not always dictate where someone stood or packed down.
The Crusaders lead the competition with a perfect 10-from-10 record, while the Hurricanes have eight wins from nine starts. Neither team has had a particularly difficult draw, making it hard to gauge their form.
From a Hurricanes’ perspective, there’s been a marked disparity between their best footy and their worst, but Boyd believes the fluctuations are inevitable at this level.
‘‘It’s unrealistic to expect a team to play for 80 minutes right through, so there will be times when the Crusaders will be on top and there’ll be times when we’re on top and I think it’ll come down to some critical moments.’’
‘‘We didn’t kick any goals there last year and we haven’t been doing too many lately so, to be honest, I’m pretty relaxed around that.’’ Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd