Hurricanes v Blues

Higgins

Blake Gibson (ribs)

The most consistently broken player in NZ? An endless stream of relatively small injuries. He must be so frustrated.

Huge opportunity for Choat with Hunt missing as well. I expect him to be in the full squad next year.. probably pushing Gibson out

No, he has nothing on the likes of Hugh Renton and Sam McNichol who seem to have been permanently injured over the last four or five seasons. Geoff Cridge also makes the list with an honourable mention.

Winger

@kiwimurph

Kirifi isn't starting

Stargazer

@tim said in Hurricanes v Blues:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/124355764/super-rugby-aotearoa-julian-savea-back-to-start-for-hurricanes-against-blues

For who can't be bothered to go through the entire article:

Holland still expects Ardie Savea to play a lot at No 8, where he featured exclusively for the Hurricanes and All Blacks last year, but felt openside flanker was the best fit for round one.

The Savea, Fifita, Flanders loose trio will counter the Blues’ bruisers and provides more lineout options, too. Holland said Kirifi, who was one of their standouts last year, was unlucky but this was horses for courses.

“We’re aware of the threat the Blues have and how we counter them and meet them head on around physicality.”

Last year’s regular No 6 Reed Prinsep will come off the bench, while hooker Dane Coles remains on ice as he regains full fitness from a calf strain. Asafo Aumua dons No 2 again.

Umaga-Jensen on the bench raises some eyebrows after his electric form alongside Ngani Laumape in 2020. With Umaga-Jensen having stayed home for last Friday’s pre-season defeat to the Highlanders on paternity leave, Billy Proctor seized his chance and gets first crack at No 13.

Said Holland: “Billy’s gone really well, he’s been awesome in the pre-season and really put the pressure on, and Pete missed a few days after becoming a father late last week. To be fair, Billy’s earned it and it’s going to be a good battle in that midfield this season.”

African Monkey

@stargazer said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@labcat Because they're a bunch of Julian Savea fanboys, and expect him to get more bums on seats and be a crowd favourite again. Stuck in the past. Reactions on their social media posts are very mixed ...

Rayasi was expected to be NZ's next star winger ... by some Aucklanders. :fishing_pole:

We'll happily have him too haha. What a waste not starting him.

Winger

@canes4life said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@canes4life interesting to see PUJ on the bench and wtf is Prinsep doing as reserve lock. I’d assume Fifita would move to lock....

Maybe one day (hopefully soon) we will all see why the coaches rate Proctor so highly. But I just don't see it. But the same with Blackwell. And Tiatia. I don't rate Prinsep but at least I can see why some might rate him

Barrett is covering 1st I assume. So who is the FB cover. Proctor, Goosen and I think PUJ (or was it his brother) have all played there during the NPC. Or Rayasi maybe.

and the two I will watch with interest is Flanders and Fifita. Falnders as its his first start but hoping for big things from him. And Fifita to see if he's got the fire back. I guess he starts though due to having a 1.90 lock in the team. And the need for more quality line-out options

Canes4life

Looking at both teams I’m picking Canes 12- as they have home advantage.

Higgins

@winger I have watched him turning out for MSP in club rugby a couple of times and whilst he looked ok there was nothing he exhibited that indicated he was a full time professional player, and had been so for three years.

kiwi_expat

@winger said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@canes4life said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@canes4life interesting to see PUJ on the bench and wtf is Prinsep doing as reserve lock. I’d assume Fifita would move to lock....

Maybe one day (hopefully soon) we will all see why the coaches rate Proctor so highly. But I just don't see it. But the same with Blackwell. And Tiatia. I don't rate Prinsep but at least I can see why some might rate him

Barrett is covering 1st I assume. So who is the FB cover. Proctor, Goosen and I think PUJ (or was it his brother) have all played there during the NPC. Or Rayasi maybe.

and the two I will watch with interest is Flanders and Fifita. Falnders as its his first start but hoping for big things from him. And Fifita to see if he's got the fire back. I guess he starts though due to having a 1.90 lock in the team. And the need for more quality line-out options.

@winger It seems like the Hurricanes coaches (Chris Gibbes in particular) tend to value toilers/hard workers, fitness & work-rate over the more flashy, purely big-boppers, hence Princep, Scrafton, Blackwell etc.. over the likes of Isaiah Walker-Leawere (who's still carrying a bit of weight to be fair) etc.. And I can't really object, as it worked for them so well last year, (their forwards were probably the best performing of all franchises by the business end of SRA 2020), but we'll see what happens on Saturday.

gt12

@stargazer said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@labcat Because they're a bunch of Julian Savea fanboys, and expect him to get more bums on seats and be a crowd favourite again. Stuck in the past. Reactions on their social media posts are very mixed ...

Rayasi was expected to be NZ's next star winger ... by some Aucklanders. :fishing_pole:

I'm not from Auckland, and he is quality.

Even the Chief's coaches would probably work out that he is a starting quality Super winger.

Bovidae

Rayasi didn't do anything against the Highlanders to demand he start. Savea looked OK in the 1st half.

Toddy

Looks like it's going to be a tough season for the Canes and Ardie should be on the phone to Cane to ask how to deal with a donut at seasons end (looks like the Chiefs have tried to lighten the load for Cane this year).

Looking forward to seeing how Flanders goes this year. He looks to have used the off season well and bulked up a bit.

Excited to see AIoane this year too. Appeared to get his head straight last year and was fizzing by year end. He looks like he's going to hit the ground running this year and deliver on his potential. Hopefully anyway as the AB's are screaming out for a unit in the forward pack.

Maybe this year will be Billy's year......

Tim

NZ TAB:

Hurricanes: $2.03
Blues: $1.72

Canes4life

I think PUJ being benched is more because of him recently having a baby in the last week and missing out on crucial training sessions. Wouldn’t read too much into it.

Dice

That's probably my favorite loose forward combination we can field. You just don't see backrows that big being fielded in NZ. They're like a bigger version of The Bouncers.

Happy to see Choat in there. Even though he's in there because of injuries, he deserves to be there on merit anyway.

Dan54

@labcat Apparently Holland has talked of Rayasi's work rate, and getting involved a bit more.

Canes4life

@dan54 Rayasi looked fairly involved in the Mitre 10 Cup.

KiwiMurph

@canes4life Not exactly the same level. Sam Caird had a standout Mitre 10 Cup for Northland but his Waratahs debut last weekend was one to forget.

taniwharugby

@kiwimurph I didnt watch, does he look like he has put on any bulk?

Has the athletic ability, but always thought he'd need to add 5kg or so to make the step up.

KiwiMurph

@taniwharugby Yeah didn't looked like he had added any weight. Although it was so hot and humid that in some ways i'm sure the players were thankful for not as much bulk!

Bovidae

@dan54 said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@labcat Apparently Holland has talked of Rayasi's work rate, and getting involved a bit more.

That is fair. Rayasi is great when he has the ball but doesn't do a lot off the ball (a criticism of a lot of wingers). I watched Rayasi closely in the Maori-Moana Pasifika game and he looked disinterested if the ball wasn't going his way.

The Silver Fern

Hurricanes v Blues