Loading up with a war of words

Some early argy-bargy. Excellent.

It all started when Stormers coach John Dobson alleged the Hurricanes dipped into a pot of nasty tricks during the 27-0 win in the round-one match over the visitors in Cape Town last weekend.

In addition to saying the Hurricanes targeted Pieter-Steph du Toit, Dobson reckons the New Zealanders also resorted to pulling their opponents’ hair.

Grabbing a bloke’s hair is simply a no-no, regardless of the setting.

But Hurricanes assistant coach Chris Gibbes wasn’t having it. In fact he told Dobson to wake up and look in the mirror. According to Gibbes, it’s the Stormers who resorted to the niggle.

The fun and games in Super Rugby have begun.

1. The real work for the Hurricanes begins on the training paddock.

Darting between Cape Town and Buenos Aires might seem like a dream travel itinerary for a tourist, but it’s much more complicated if you’re a pro rugby player.

The Hurricanes’ willingness to cough up the ball and flip silly passes ensured they got touched up by the Stormers.

Three things stand out. In addition to boasting a goose egg on their side of the scoreboard, the Canes only advanced over the gainline on 34 per cent of their carries, and managed only three line breaks.

Vast improvements are needed for the next one against the Jaguares.

A big call has been made at No 10, with coach Jason Holland picking Jackson Garden-Bachop to start ahead of Fletcher Smith.

2. Beauden Barrett was hollerin’ at the Super Bowl on Monday.