Hurricanes 2017
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Canes fans should be well happy.
On paper they look to have the best balance of strong players among the NZ squads. Of course injuries, luck etc etc can come into it plus a team of 'lesser' names can also get on a good roll, but betting wise you wouldn't go past them topping the conference -
The Hurricanes v Brumbies game on Fri 21 April will be played at McLean Park, Napier. Great news!
Last year, the Canes offered Napier the game v Western Force, which was rejected by Napier City Council, so the game was played in Palmerston North in front of a small crowd. Glad they didn't do the same this year by offering a game v Stormers or Cheetahs (for example), but instead have chosen a game against a better opponent (although one of the NZ franchises would obviously have been preferable). Super Rugby games in Napier are usually very well attended. Although the circumstances were sad (just after Jerry Collins and his partner passed away), the game v Highlanders in 2015 was awesome.
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Magpies Tiaan Falcon and Jonah Lowe brought into Hurricanes squad as injury cover players!
For Falcon, 19, this was one of two significant selections in recent days. Along with his Clive clubmate and fellow Magpie, outside back Jonah Lowe, who played for this year's Baby Blacks, Falcon has been selected as injury cover players for the Hurricanes. Lowe, 20, will link up with the Canes from December 1 and Falcon after the Palmy camp. Falcon's father and former Maori All Black and Magpies loosie Gordon Falcon played four games for the Canes in 2000 while Lowe's older brother and former Maori All Black and Magpies flanker Karl Lowe played 41 matches for the Canes from 2009-2013.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11753050
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@Bones You mean Tiaan's dad Gordon? Yeah, only 4 for the Canes. I also thought he played more. 11 for the Brumbies; 74 for the Magpies. A few games for NZ Maori. And league (22 games for Penrith Panthers). Granddad Ray Falcon also played for NZ Maori and the Magpies (40 games). Some pedigree there!
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Hurricanes U20 team to play Blues U20 at Evans Bay Park on Saturday, March 4 at 1pm:
15 Jonah Lowe (H'Bay)
14 Al Moimoisea (H'Bay)
13 Billy Proctor (Wgtn)
12 Lester Maualolo (Wgtn)
11 Malo Tuitama (Wgtn)
10 Piri Paraone (Wgtn)
9 Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Wgtn)
8 Brayden Iose (Man)
7 Hugh Renton (H'Bay)
6 Liam Giltrap (Man)
5 Anthony Pettett (Wgtn)
4 Isaia Walker-Leawere (Wgtn)
3 Alex Fidow (Wgtn)
2 Asafo Aumua (Wgtn)
1 Tim Farrell (H'Bay)Reserves: Ben Power (Wgtn), Pouri Rakete-Stones (H'Bay), Sitiveni Paongo (Wgtn), Hannon Brighouse (H'Bay), Josh Brown (Wgtn), Will Tremain (H'Bay), Tom Stewart (Man), Ueta Tufuga (Man), Ben Werthmuller (Man).
http://www.hurricanes.co.nz/the-canes/news/single/item/-940293fbec/
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@Stargazer i expected that to be a replay of last week's game
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@mariner4life You mean a Blues U20s v Chiefs U20s game?
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Just came home from the U20s game. Hurricanes U20s beat the Blues U20s 33 to 29 (5 tries each).
It was a good game and - as you can tell from the score - a reasonably tight game, although one of the Blues' tries should have been disallowed because the try scorer had a foot in touch before he dotted down (we were closer to the spot where it happened than the assistant ref, who didn't see it).
It's hard for me to comment on individual players that I didn't recognise, because they mixed up some of the jersey numbers. And my eyes aren't getting any better. So I only name the players that I did recognise (or the number on their back).
Anyway, Jonah Lowe was easily the best of the backs (of both teams). He was heavily marked by the Blues players, who - at times - put 3 men on him, giving the Canes' wings space. That didn't do too much damage, because the Blues backs (particularly the no. 14, who scored at least two of their 5 tries) were considerably faster than the Canes wings. Neither Canes' wings impressed me. They were close to scoring several times, but instead knocked the ball on , or on at least one occasion, the ball went into touch before they could catch it (after a good kick).
The Blues scored two quick tries after clever kicking from the first-five (I think), after total failure of the Canes' defence which still needed to get into the game. It was soon 12-0. The momentum changed after about 15-20 minutes, when Jonah Lowe totally bossed the Blues defence and zigzagged over the field to score a try at the other end of the field (12-5).
Then the game changed into one in which the forwards got bigger roles to play and that showed that the Canes forward pack functioned better than the Blues'. Hugh Renton must have been a pest for his Blues' counterparts. He was relentless and all over the place. For almost 70 minutes. Really good, on both defence and attack.
The second Canes try came from a driving maul (12-12). The Blues managed another quick attack, which resulted in the try that should have been disallowed (19-12 Blues). The third Canes' try was completely at the other end of the field and I can't say for sure how and by whom the try was scored. It may have been by a forward (19-19). That was the half time score.
The second half began as the first had ended: as a forward battle, with multiple line-outs and scrums. Overall, the Canes' looked a bit stronger and better, without that resulting in points. The Canes opened the score when Will Tremain got over the line after many phases (26-19 Canes). The Blues defence functioned reasonably well, but in the end the Canes patience paid off. The Blues also gave away too many penalties.
Then followed a period of attacks and counter-attacks, and Jonah Lowe was massive again when he prevented an almost certain try from one of the fast backs of Blues by launching himself like a missile and smashing that back into touch. Lowe injured himself in that action and was taken off for treatment. It was at the other end of the field, so I can't say for sure, but it seemed a dislocated finger or another injury to his fingers (it took the medic quite a while to get things sorted). In the mean time, the Blues scored their fourth try (26-24).
Lowe came back on, and the Canes were again hot on attack and scored. I have no idea who scored, but it was again after several phases and a lot of hard work from the forwards (and good Blues defence) (33-24 Canes). Lowe was involved in that last action, but left the field immediately afterwards.
In the last ten minutes of the game, the Blues came back once more with a try of their own (33-29).
Overall, it was an entertaining game and generally of reasonably good quality. Stand-outs for me were Jonah Lowe, the Blues' outside backs (particularly no. 14), Hugh Renton and some others in the Canes' pack.
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@Stargazer said in Hurricanes 2017:
Anyway, Jonah Lowe was easily the best of the backs (of both teams). He was heavily marked by the Blues players, who - at times - put 3 men on him, giving the Canes' wings space. That didn't do too much damage, because the Blues backs (particularly the no. 14, who scored at least two of their 5 tries) were considerably faster than the Canes wings. Neither Canes' wings impressed me. They were close to scoring several times, but instead knocked the ball on , or on at least one occasion, the ball went into touch before they could catch it (after a good kick).
Apparently that was Eroni Clarke's son.
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@Tim Not bad at all! Some of those tries to the outside backs were the direct result of some good cross kicks from the 1st-five. Missed three conversions, but possibly because they were kicked from difficult angles (because the outside backs scored in the corner).
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Looking at the Canes twitter feed, that first try was not scored by Lowe but by Aumua. Damn head bands! Anyway, according to the official twitter feed, the Canes' first half tries were scored by Hugh Renton and Asafo Aumua (2), and the second half tries by Ben Worthmulller and Will Tremain.
