Lights, cameras, reaction: Canes plot recovery
Soul-searching, navel-gazing … call it what you will, introspection has undoubtedly been the theme of the week for the Hurricanes on the back of their first misstep of the Super Rugby Pacific season.
First-year head coach Clark Laidlaw made that clear ahead of tonight’s visit to Sky Stadium by the NSW Waratahs when for the first time in this campaign the 8-1 Canes will face a foe off the back of a defeat.
That loss came last Saturday in Canberra when the Hurricanes, who missed a whopping 43 tackles, were tipped over 27-19 by the Brumbies in bounceback mode after a thrashing by the Blues the round before.
It’s left the men from the capital with plenty to ponder heading into the visit from the 2-7 Waratahs.
Asked what he wanted to see tonight, Laidlaw’s answer said it all: “A reaction to playing poorly. We were disappointed with the way we played … we played poorly on a number of fronts. We had a good honest start to the week and there was no real stress around those conversations.
“The Waratahs are big men … everybody could see in games against the Crusaders and Chiefs at the weekend, man, they take a bit of holding if they get on the front-foot, so we need to be better defensively and take the opportunities.”
Truth be told, the Brumbies defeat changes the whole tenor of this Hurricanes season. Their lead over the hard-chasing Blues, who have won six on the bounce, has shrunk to just a single point, with the two teams meeting in a potential minor premiership decider at Eden Park on Saturday week.
But first Laidlaw’s men must look to get their show back on the road against a Waratahs outfit who have largely struggled against anyone not named the Crusaders in 2024 (their only two victories have been ag*ainst the perennial champs). The Canes have won six straight over the Sydneysiders, but are rightly wary on the back of the stumble.
“It showed us if you get it wrong, you lose against a good side,” said Laidlaw of the defeat.
“I think people underestimate how good all the teams are. Look at the Reds-Blues game … it could have gone either way and the Reds lost to Moana. Everybody has beaten everybody in one-off games.
“The Brumbies were embarrassed by how they played against the Blues, came out fizzing, and beat us to the jump physically. There’s plenty to look at, but not look too deeply so we start chasing rabbits and put ourselves in holes.”
Laidlaw’s freshening of his squad should help, even if not all of it has been voluntary.
Kianu Kereru-Symes gets the crack at the problem hooker position, Devan Flanders comes in at 6, and Richard Judd, Riley Higgins, Bailyn Sullivan and Josh Moorby slot into the backline. Heavy-hitters, such as TJ Perenara and Jordie Barrett, lurk on the bench while regular skipper Brad Shields is rested.
Needless to say, defence has been prioritised. “We need to defend a lot better,” added Laidlaw.