Homework beckons for Canes
All Blacks commitments will leave the Hurricanes with a solitary training session to prepare for critical Super Rugby clashes with the Crusaders and Highlanders.
As many as 12 Hurricanes could find themselves among the 33 players named in the first All Blacks squad for the season, who’ll then attend two camps – May 20-22 in Auckland and May 27-29 in Christchurch. The Hurricanes meet the Crusaders in Christchurch on May 25, then the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on June 1.
‘‘They’ll come back for us [on] Wednesday and then we travel to Christchurch on Thursday to play Friday, so they’ll have one day with us,’’ Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd said.
‘‘Normally on Wednesday for a Friday game we’d have two sessions. We’ve made a slight tweak, in that we’ve rolled it into one session to try and alleviate the loads.
‘‘We’ll get all our [planning] work done early in the week and send it to them electronically and by the time they get here by Wednesday, we’d have an expectation that they’re all over what the gameplan is for the Crusaders next week and the Highlanders the week after, when they’re in their second camp.
‘‘So they’ve got a bit of homework to do.’’
All Blacks certainties such as Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara aren’t just handy Hurricanes, they’re critical to the team’s planning.
You assume that Ngani Laumape, Jordie Barrett, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Ardie Savea and Vaea Fifita are among the other Hurricanes who should make the All Blacks squad.
Then there’s Ben Lam, Julian Savea, Jeff To’omaga-Allen, Ricky Riccitelli and Matt Proctor, who all boast selection claims of varying strength.
‘‘It’s a bit tricky for them,’’ said Boyd of the players who’ll eventually be picked.
‘‘The second camp is in Christchurch and we play on Friday night and they’ve got to report on Sunday morning to Christchurch, so there’s decisions to be made [about] whether they’re going to fly home and fly back and stuff.
‘‘Logistically there’s a bit to be done, but they accept the fact that they’ve been summonsed and they shall follow.’’
Laumape is having his final All Blacks rest this week, while Beauden Barrett still has one to go. Boyd wasn’t giving much away, but June 30 in Canberra against the Brumbies might prove to be the game Barrett misses.
The other candidates are the Blues at home on July 7 or the Chiefs away the following Friday.
‘‘His undisclosed rest has not changed. Right from the start we sat down with him and worked out what that was going to look like, so he’ll rest one of the three games after the June [All Blacks v France] series,’’ Boyd said.
‘‘They accept the fact that they’ve been summonsed and they shall follow.’’ Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd on his All Blacks camp-bound players