Team of the week: Hurricanes dominate again
The Hurricanes-Chiefs game on Saturday was almost as good as it gets for Super Rugby Pacific.
The two sides were stacked with talent, and the Hurricanes’ intention from the outset was simply to blow the Chiefs off the park.
The visitors did well to recover, using the big men to deny the Hurricanes access to the ball for the middle part of the game.
But the Hurricanes simply won too many of the positional battles to be denied.
Pick a number on the field and the Hurricanes can lay claim to having the form player in New Zealand in that jersey, or at least among the top contenders.
They are 7-0 and dominate Stuff’s team of the week.
15 (Hurricanes): Ruben Love Used his quick hands to set up two tries for Asafo Aumua, the first of them disallowed. Starting to fulfil his rich promise. 14 Sevu Reece (Crusaders): The Crusaders’ standout player this season due to his pace and energy levels. 13 Billy Proctor (Hurricanes): His ability to beat multiple defenders was the catalyst for TJ Perenara’s game-changing second try against the Chiefs.
12 Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes): A worldclass performance at No 12 against the Chiefs as his game continues to grow. 11 Kini Naholo (Hurricanes): Definitely won the battle of the No 11s against Etene
Nanai-Seturo. 10 Brett Cameron (Hurricanes): Quietly playing his way into the All Blacks conversation with his ability to put others into space. 9 TJ Perenara (Hurricanes): Two more tries for the reborn halfback, who almost looks like a different player. 8 Brayden Iose
(Hurricanes): A very close call with the bruising Chief Wallace Sititi, but history is written by the winners.
7 Peter Lakai (Hurricanes): Loves a bit of contact, but his ability to find space with his running lines has improved a lot this year. 6 Samipeni Finau (Chiefs): Hitting harder than anyone in New Zealand – and
that matters at the next level up.
5 Jamie Hannah (Crusaders): Quickly becoming Stuff’s favourite young player. Carried the ball 16 times against the Waratahs, with 100% commitment each time. 4 Oliver Haig (Highlanders): The young lock/loose forward was a rare shining light for the Highlanders against the Rebels in his first start. 3 Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes): The Hurricanes’ scrum is setting the standard – and big Jamie Mackintosh’s stocks as a scrum coach are rising quickly.
2 Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes): The hooker’s consistency is setting him apart this season, and playing big minutes actually seems to be helping him.
1 Xavier Numia (Hurricanes): The 25-year-old is putting serious heat on Jason Ryan and Scott Robertson to pick him. A bulldozer in Super Rugby.