Hurricanes finish Super Rugby Aotearoa season with win over Highlanders

Yep body size is true re centres and a Ioane sized player would be great but I think he has played himself out of a test spot so far.( unfortunately ) and either of Laumape or Havili looking fine by me. Im not seeing any other 12s demanding selection but Im pretty excited about the young prospects at the Chiefs and Blues coming thru so maybe a year or two away for those guys to start pressuring the current mob. I reckon RTS will be a good 12 also..How good is the question....

*corrector :silly: :happy:

I think it really comes down to how well we go in the TT. I think there has been a lot of players leaving, but when our wooden spooners smash the Highlanders, who had previously only a few weeks ago smashed the premier them of the comp. that shows on any day or could be any team. We definitely don’t have the same depth that we had though.

That’s a fair point Jacko on Laumape when he has played International Rugby. I think if you are going to see the best of him at the next level, he needs to be playing regularly so he can settle. One of the problems with All Black midfield selections post 2015 is that they chopped and changed so many times and there was never any cohesion. Laumape tended to be the unlucky on most occasions. I agree with Havili is form had been superb and would have no qualms if he got the nod at 12 for the All Blacks. Is a triple threat player and if Mo’unga is 10 there is already a combination there. Hard to go past ALB at 13. My only concern with a Havili/ALB combo is neither is big body.

its clear that NZ cannot afford 5 teams anymore - mainly due to the exodus of many players to Europe n japan. will be interesting to see if those who left will come back due to the corona issues in europe. NZ lost a lot of experoenced players aged between 26-30 - and most teams now have lots of guys who are under 23. thats why some very old guys like Evans Messam et al are called up into the teams - much like Force in aussy.

Rayasi shud go to 7S team - its hard for him to get into allblacks with so many established wingers if laumape doesnt get a place with ABs he ll be off to europe. Luke J is a 6 - Sotutu n Marino are better 8s how long can Luke go on with his concussion issues is the point - he will get hit a lot if he plays test rugger.

Laumape is having a great season and has been one of the best midfielders in the competition. If he establish himself as a first choice All Black he offers that punch that’s lacked in the midfield since Nonu retired. he just doesnt transfer his SR form into test rugby tho....Its always a disapointment.....Is this year the year he does? Not sure as I reckon Havili has been very good at 12 and ALB at 13 so at least we are developing some options and with Goodhue out its an oportunity for someone and to me its Laumape or Havili as Umunga-Jensen hasnt had a lot of time...Clearly out of favor at the Canes...

The double yellow over that was silly. And the ref failed to set the same standard for the rest of the match so I hope he gets dropped to club rugby as he needed to realise he wasnt reffing U7s

Ben, good “article”. I like a lot of what you said. But the problem with starting out with niggly comments about somebody’s post isn’t so much “everyone hates a correcter” as that it sets you up for similar examination. I found it hard to focus on the meaning of your argument as I kept noticing spelling, punctuation and grammatical slips. I had to read a few sentences twice to get your point. But good points.

I think this game should be remembered for the best and worst captains referrals of the season. One saved a try and the other cost his own team a penalty.

Rayasi is class. Looks like such a naturally balanced rugby athlete. Didn’t realise he had the party boy antics but that definitely needs to stop if he wants to go to the next level. Laumape is having a great season and has been one of the best midfielders in the competition. If he establish himself as a first choice All Black he offers that punch that’s lacked in the midfield since Nonu retired. Flanders is very promising. Makes great line breaks with his mobility and speed. Has been building quite nicely from NPC and now into Super Rugby. My pick for Number 8 to start would be Luke Jacobson if he overcomes is concussion issues. Has a great rugby brain, very rugged and has good ball skills especially with offloading.

Couple of points...its Brayden Iose, not Lose...and "the 4 points wasnt enough"...they got 6 tries and a bonus point meaning 5 points. Anyway...everyone hates a correcter. Kirifi was outstanding and showed the form that got him into the ABs squad last year. Motm. 2nd top tackler in the comp, best running metres of all flankers. I just finished skipping through last nights game to analyse Kirifi and De Groot. Kirifis workrate is massive. He runs really smart angles to get to the breakdwn asap and everything at pace. Hes smart enough to choose when to jackel attempt and wen to leave it. Hes a very intelligent player. Unlike Boschier hes not a 1 trick pony. He has the best running game of all the flankers imo and is the perfect linkman between backs and forwards. He ran himself to a standstill last nite. Ive often marvelled at how quickly he gets to breakdwns or in support on the opposite side of the field where he started. He reads it really well. You can see him thinking on the run, anticipating. I really rate him...with Cane and Savea out for a bit, the battle for that 7 jersey is Papalii and Kirifi. I vote Kirifi. Ive heard a lot about De Groot so analysed his game too. He did a real job on AB prop Lomax. Hes technically superb. He has a lot of Carl Hayman about him and similar in stature at 190cm 122kgs. His defence is very strong too. If he can up his time with ball in hand, dont be surprised to see him in this years AB squad esp with Moody out for a while. Alongside Kirifi, Laumape was outstanding too. Hes developing those extra touches to his game, just like Nonu did. I love Coles, however he sails too close to the wind for mine. In tests, refs wont be as lenient and he has a history that all refs know about. Hes an easy target to wind up. Flanders has developed nicely. Big and rangy, last night and their last game v Chiefs were his best games. He looks very promising. How mobile is Xavier Numia? He was everywhere on atrack and getting back on dee. Justin Marshall even commented on that. His scrummaging can be a question mark though. Rueben Love had a jittery first half but had a very good 2nd half. Just turned 20 this week he is the future for the Canes. NPC will give him more time to develop too. Both rookie halfbacks played well and suddenly, both produced an effective running game. Rayasi has everything. Can be an AB, but im reliably informed hes a party boy. Enjoys his drink and clubs too much, stunting his development. Come on Salesi, its a 5-6 year time frame. Plenty of time for that later... Was extremly pleasing to have a Hurricanes performance where all the talk isnt about Jordy again as others stepped up. He cant do it alone. In Umaga-Jensen..well hes regressed. Good to see Skux Skudder back...although his best days are plainly behind him. Nareki had one outstanding performance this year, but hasnt reached anywhere near that performance again. Overall the Canes season is one of what ifs. Shoulda beaten the Crusaders prior to going into extra time. Shoulda beaten the Chiefs from 26-7 up halftime, then again when nipped by Mckenzie in the 83rd minute. 3 games they shoulda won...but for the real raw rookie halves who couldnt close them out...Add 12 competion points and theyre playing the final...shows theyre almost there. Anyway, the future looks promising in Flanders, Numia, Love, both halfbacks Campbell and Roigard. Go the Canes....

Also thought harsh but how else do you manage children!! Fun game, those Canes long range tries are great to watch.

Very interesting game. Hurricanes creating so many opportunities in the first half but the Highlanders scramble was great, plus the Hurricanes ability to stuff things up kept things pretty even. Second half, the Hurricanes showed what they can do when the passes stick and some better decisions are made, plus the effort of scrambling so much in the 1st half took its toll. Coles was very Dane Coles. Lots of niggle ‘having fun’. Went a bit far on Hunt and he didn’t just take it. I think the YC on its own merits was maybe a bit harsh, but think it was a case of trying to squash the rubbish by having a zero tolerance approach. Kinda like instead of trying to unpack a bust up with the kids you just send them all to their bedrooms so you can finish watching the rugby in peace (may or may not be based on real events).