Hoeata hoping normality a prelude to lots of wins
RUGBY
David Long Highlanders forward Jarrad Hoeata feels he is finally getting a bit of normality back into his training as he battles back from arm surgery.
But he is still over a month away from contemplating playing his first game of Super Rugby this year. The three-test All Black had an operation on a bicep during the offseason. He is recovering well but says it’s still too early to think about playing again.
‘‘I’m nine weeks down and I’ve got another five or six weeks to go, so we’re getting there,’’ Hoeata said. ‘‘It has been frustrating, but the last couple of weeks I have been running again, I’ve been back in the gym and I’m starting to get a bit of normality back into my schedule.
‘‘Now that I’m starting to be able to do things it is less frustrating but it is still tough to watch the boys play.’’
If things go well in Hoeata’s recovery his first game back could be against the Hurricanes in Wellington on March 17. Up to then he’ll be missed as the Highlanders look to replicate the flying start they made to the season last year.
However, adding plenty of experience to the forward pack this year is Andrew Hore, who Hoeata says has settled in well at his new franchise.
‘‘I think he’s rejuvenated,’’ Hoeata said of Hore.
‘‘I wasn’t sure how he’d go when he came down, but he’s been awesome so far. He’s enjoyed being back home, getting back to the farm, hunting and fishing.’’
While the Highlanders got off to a great start last year, they faded badly and fell out of contention for the playoffs.
Part of the reason why they began so well was because of how heavily they attacked the breakdown, sending in more numbers than usual to blow out the ruck.
It was a tactic that referees didn’t approve of later in the season while opposition teams began to work out how to compete against it, but Hoeata said they’ve looked to move on in their thinking at breakdowns this year.
‘‘We were frontrunners in that part of the game, the breakdown and clean out,’’ he said.
‘‘It is one of our specialities and that won’t change, but we have tried to evolve. We’ve brought in a jujitsu coach which has been beneficial for the boys and we’re always looking for innovations to push the limits in that area.’’