Strong squad but absence of key playmakers provides biggest test for Canes

In the second of a series previewing the start of Super Rugby Aotearoa this week, Mark Geenty looks at the Hurricanes.

The sight of Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara galloping around Japanese rugby stadia on Sunday put the Hurricanes’ biggest challenge this season into sharp focus.

The departure in successive years of two iconic Hurricanes – in the crucial No 9 and 10 jerseys – leaves a significant hole and a nagging headache for coach Jason Holland. That was aggravated when two candidates for those halves spots – Jamie Booth (broken leg) and Simon Hickey (ruptured knee ligament) – were both listed as ‘season over’ in early February.

Perenara, the combative, yappy halfback, was his usual presence for the Hurricanes last year and played all 320 minutes of their ‘Kiwi Slam’: successive victories over the Chiefs, Highlanders, Blues and Crusaders in a threeweek span. He was effective moving to first-five and directing traffic in the final quarter, with Booth charging off the bench as they closed out tense victories.

It leaves Jackson GardenBachop again in the hot seat, having ended last year as Holland’s first choice No 10 with Barrett at the Blues. He was serviceable and can drive a game and mix it up physically, while lacking the gas of most top pivots. High-level consistency is his workon. Below Garden-Bachop, depth is thin with last year’s deputy Fletcher Smith in Japan.

No 9 will start with last year’s third choice Jonathan Taumateine ahead of new signing Luke Campbell, both solid performers at Mitre 10 Cup level but unproven higher, and needing to bring Perenara’s bark and presence behind a relatively unchanged pack.

That’s where it’s not necessarily gloomy for the Hurricanes, whose back-to-back opening defeats and a final-round loss in Dunedin consigned them to third place in 2020 after a monumental upset of the Crusaders in Christchurch.

Crowd favourite Ardie Savea takes over as skipper. The ultimate ‘follow me’ leader, Savea leads a near identical pack of bruising ball carriers, whose lineout improved sharply and were rarely bettered by opposing big men last year. There is plenty of depth at loose forward and Asafo Aumua again looms as a key man in the set piece, and roaming menacingly out wide with his bulk and pace.

And from No 12 out, the firepower remains. Ngani Laumape will again be fizzing after a broken arm derailed his impressive season alongside Peter UmagaJensen, one of the finds of last year. Wing is another headscratcher for Holland with Ben Lam and Kobus van Wyk gone, and Wes Goosen, Salesi Rayasi, Lolagi Visinia and Julian Savea all vying for spots.

Rayasi, oddly, wasn’t required last year then had a barnstorming season for Auckland, while Savea returned from France in much better shape then he left in, and looked thirsty for work in their pre-season defeat to the Highlanders. Newly signed utility

Ruben Love was labelled by Holland as his young player to watch.

Then, there’s Jordie Barrett, unchallenged as last year’s MVP. Three times, against the Chiefs, Blues and Crusaders, he nailed a cool-headed goal with the clock ticking to help clinch victory. Then there was his general play under the high ball, bruising defence and the ability to pop up in the right place on attack – in his rightful jersey of No 15 – which sees him as the Hurricanes key man again. Lose this Barrett to injury and the Canes’ chances nosedive.

Title contenders? Yes, given their five-match winning run in 2020 which included an away victory over the perennial champions. Coach Holland has another year under his belt after he was a late promotion for All Blackbound John Plumtree, and with Chris Gibbes, Cory Jane, Dan Cron and new addition Tyler Bleyendaal forms an effective coaching lineup who made big strides last year towards that peak in Christchurch.

Questions surround the halves combination but those can be overcome if the forwards stand up again. If Savea’s captaincy role doesn’t detract from his on-field dynamism, and they keep their gamebreakers – notably Laumape and Barrett – on the park, then they know they can beat anyone.