Desperately seeking Laumape
One of the more surprising aspects of the Hurricanes’ relatively close quarter-final victory over the Bulls was how well the visitors contained second five Ngani Laumape, a player with 11 tries this season who hardly fired an attacking shot at the weekend.
He and the Hurricanes will have plenty to ponder over the next few days ahead of their semifinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday because if the same thing happens, they’ll have next to no chance of an upset victory against a side who haven’t lost a home playoff match in 22 attempts.
Laumape is the Hurricanes’ go-to guy in terms of providing them with momentum against rush defences. The Crusaders will certainly provide that as they seek to again disrupt Beauden Barrett and so there will be an expectation that Laumape will buy the visitors time and space with his carrying against two fellow All Black midfielders in Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue.
Strangely, he ran only six times with the ball against the Bulls in his team’s 35-28 win, and made only three tackles (missing one). He passed the ball four times. For such an important player to handle the ball so infrequently is odd.
There is even more at stake for him in Christchurch. If the 26-year-old can rediscover his attacking and defensive spark there, he will impress the All Blacks selectors and help his World Cup hopes.
At the moment he is probably behind Crotty, Goodhue, Anton LienertBrown and Sonny Bill Williams in the pecking order, with Crusader Braydon Ennor also in the mix, and so it’s entirely possible that, despite being close to unstoppable at times for the Hurricanes this season, he could miss out on a trip to Japan.
The selectors feel that good performances during the pressure and intensity of a playoffs match is a greater indication of a player’s readiness to go to the next level.
There has never been that doubt with Crotty, Goodhue or Williams, and the selectors admire Ennor, likely to again be named on the reserves bench on Saturday, for his pace, decision-making and ability to play in the midfield or as an outside back. LienertBrown’s greatest strength as far as the All Blacks are concerned is his ability to add impact off the reserves bench.