How Dangerous Hurricanes Overcame Ardie’s Loss

The almost common consensus before Super Rugby Pacific began was that the Hurricanes would struggle without their talismanic forward Ardie Savea.

The fact they top the table with a record of nine wins and one loss ahead of their clash with the second-placed Blues at Eden Park on Saturday afternoon is a testament to their development under new manager Clark Laidlaw, because now They have depth at the position unmatched by any other team.

In a topsy-turvy season, this is perhaps the wildest twist.

Captain Brad Shields will lead a loose trio at Eden Park that includes standouts Brayden Iose and Peter Lakai, with the dynamic Devan Flanders and DuPlessis Kirifi on the reserve bench.

Iose’s matchup with Blues number 8 Hoskins Sotutu alone will be worth the price of admission and, although Sotutu will start alongside Dalton Papalii and Akira Ioane, the visitors may have a slight advantage in this area.

“It definitely hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Shields said of Savea’s absence after moving to Japan. “Regardless of how you look at it, someone like Ardie is a big shoe to fill.

“The way we’ve talked about this is to try not to put pressure on ourselves to try to be like Ardie and how he plays. He brings a special dynamic to any team he is on. It’s about improving our strengths.

“It leaves a big void, but I think we’ve done very well in giving guys leadership roles and filling that space in terms of voice and communication.”

As Laidlaw said, Flanders and Kirifi would come into most starting lineups. That he can get them off the bench to turn things around in the second half is a big plus.

“With players like DuPlessis and Devan coming in, we think that really adds to our game… it’s about maintaining performance and momentum for the full 80 minutes,” Laidlaw said.

The Hurricanes’ abundance of big, skilled and very fast forwards has been one of the defining characteristics of their season.

Another is the more ruthless advantage they possess (and this applies to the Blues too) and the enthusiasm with which they play. The contrast with the woeful defending champions Crusaders could not be starker.

The Hurricanes have already beaten the Blues this season and another would go a long way in solidifying their number one spot and home field advantage during the playoffs.

“It feels like a big game and it’s a big game,” Laidlaw said. “It’s one against two. We are very aware of the challenge ahead of us, but we are very excited to get out there and express ourselves.

“Someone told me that 2019 was the last time we won there, which would suggest it’s a tough place to go. But I’m looking forward to that.

“I like to go to difficult places and test ourselves. We failed against the Brumbies a couple of weeks ago. “It was a great test, so it will be interesting to see that we have learned some lessons from it.”

What did you learn?

“If you don’t show up physically, a good team beats you. It’s as simple as that, and the Blues are a great team. Look at the team they have chosen. They are a very direct team that causes you problems and compresses your defense and then we all know that they have the X factor.”

Shields said: “It’s by far the most important game for us this year and it’s probably the same for them. They probably want a little redemption for when they came here.

“Part of our role is to entertain and I guess we are in the entertainment industry… it’s in our DNA as the Hurricanes have always been a big focus of attack.

“For us, some of the emotions can come up these days on defense. How willing are you to lend a hand to someone, get up and do it again? After that, you get the flashy attempts in the corner. I don’t think that will ever go away from hurricanes.

“When you hear people say ‘you’ve brought us back to rugby’, it’s really pleasing.”