Hurricanes 2024
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@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2024:
@foobaNZ nah we need to back Godfrey to be our long term 10. Him and Roigard ripped the Crusaders apart in a pre season game last year as a halves combo. I’d rather back Godfrey than take a punt on Jacomb who’s aligned with the Chiefs anyway.
Godfrey also was the under 20 player of the tournament playing 10 last year.
I actually thought Godfrey played 15 for U20s last year. Kemara played at 10, Faleafaga Clan this year) was 12 and Godfrey was 15. Well the games I saw anyway. Although I agree he could well be our long term 10, he needs some experience in position at even NPC where he hardly makes it for Hawkes Bay. I reckong we need one more experienced 10 to back up Cameron until Godfrey gets the numbers on board . Personally am a fan of a young 10 getting a few years in squad before getting the pressure.
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@Dan54 oh I mean for the NZ Super under 20s tourney in Taupo. He played 10 and was the player of the tournament. Should have played 10 for the NZ under 20s.
Don’t forget this is his second year in the Canes squad. Next year will be his third so he will be well ready for minutes, but I agree, he needs more time at 10 so if he isn’t going to get it for the Magpies then he’s more than welcome to come to Wellington. He plays a lot of his club rugby for Petone so he may aswell at this point.
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@sparky said in Hurricanes 2024:
Top of the table. Happy Days. Keep the faith! 😎
Shields will be back next week, Lomax was walking around on the ground today but was still nursing his leg slightly, hopefully he’ll suit up next week.
Delany is an unknown but we’ve got solid depth in the locking department this year.
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Josh Ioane, my new fav Chiefs player
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@Tim said in Hurricanes 2024:
Nice to see a rugby journo put in some effort for once. Awesome story.
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Update on Lomax:
Laidlaw said Lomax wasn’t too far away and could reunite with Aumua in the front row in a potential semifinal.
“He’s training now. He’s out of his moon boot but it’s just too early for him to play this week,” Laidlaw said.
“He scrummed on Tuesday and reminded the looseheads what he can do in the scrum, which was an exciting sight.
“He showed them who is the big dog around training again but we’re really hopeful that if we’re good enough to win this weekend he would be an option next week.”
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Numia's season over
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350308504/season-over-form-hurricanes-prop-xavier-numia
Rakete-Stones will need to step up into Numia's shoes. PRS is the strongest player in the Canes so hopefully he can transfer that onto the field this Saturday.
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@Windows97 he's shown great form this year and the AB coaches would have taken note of that. He's only 25 so plenty of time for him to force his way into the squad.
Just a shame that the Canes injuries this year have been to guys in the best form within the squad.
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@sparky said in Hurricanes 2024:
A better season than I expected at the start even if it ended in familiar disappointment.
We need to recruit at 6,10 and 14 ahead of next year. Ardie Savea and Cam Roigard back will make a massive difference.
I've said before but the difference between a great coach and a not quite good enough coach is small. Holland was a poor head coach. Laidlaw is not quite good enough so far.
There were too many players who had badly lost form. Iose was one. Moorby was another. Neither did much in this game and Moorby blew a certain try. But they were kept on week after week. And kept performing only ok
And one who was in form (Flanders) was dropped for someone who was only adequate in this game.
Cameron was the biggest issue though. He just isn't good enough. Yet the option of Barrett (1st) and Higgin (2nd) wasn't tried. Or Godfrey at 1st. The only other option was Morgan. Who is only an adequate NPC level first
And who came up with this game plan,
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As an outsider it seems to me Laidlaw has made the Canes a much more consistent team-which is surely an upside given there are still weaknesses in key positions.
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Do the hurricanes still play off for 3rd and 4th. Just asking for a friend.
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@Winger said in Hurricanes 2024:
@sparky said in Hurricanes 2024:
A better season than I expected at the start even if it ended in familiar disappointment.
We need to recruit at 6,10 and 14 ahead of next year. Ardie Savea and Cam Roigard back will make a massive difference.
I've said before but the difference between a great coach and a not quite good enough coach is small. Holland was a poor head coach. Laidlaw is not quite good enough so far.
There were too many players who had badly lost form. Iose was one. Moorby was another. Neither did much in this game and Moorby blew a certain try. But they were kept on week after week. And kept performing only ok
And one who was in form (Flanders) was dropped for someone who was only adequate in this game.
Cameron was the biggest issue though. He just isn't good enough. Yet the option of Barrett (1st) and Higgin (2nd) wasn't tried. Or Godfrey at 1st. The only other option was Morgan. Who is only an adequate NPC level first
And who came up with this game plan,
Hurricanes are still a great side who will be a force again next year and I wouldn’t be surprised if they take another step up. Majority of their core players at their peak or coming into it. Plus the return of Ardie and Roigard.
They are in a great place. Could do with finding out if Godfrey has a higher ceiling than Cameron though.
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Hurricanes year in review.
Grade: B+
At the beginning of the year, I had the Canes as a top four side but wasn't sure if we would have the metal or the experience to quite go all the way, my assumption proved right but the disappointment of actually not making the final and pushing for the title was a lot greater than I expected.To top the table at the end of the regular season displayed the massive improvement this franchise has taken since Holland thankfully left at the end of 2023. Laidlaw has come in and created a culture that every single player has brought into and that will pay dividends over the next couple of years.
The reality going forward with the players we've signed up is that we should be pushing for that title for at least the next 3-4 years.
There are a few areas we need to shore up in the recruitment space and I have highlighted them below.
Best player: Cam Roigard, yes he only played 5 rounds but he was arguably the best player in the competition before he suffered that brutal injury against the Landers. If he can get anywhere close to the form he showed next year then the Canes will be a far tougher proposition. His decision making at the base of the ruck was second to none and many rugby fans around New Zealand will be hoping he makes a full recovery and can get back to his best for the ABs.
Best rookie: Peter Lakai
I know this was his second super season but this year was the first where he actually played consistent minutes. His ball carrying and defensive ability, coupled with the fact he never shy's away from doing the hard yards as a 7 will put him right in the conversation come All Black selection. The fact this kid is only 21 and is already going toe to toe with the best makes you think he has a pretty high ceiling.Player of the year: Billy Proctor
He only experienced losing once this season, unfortunately that was to the Chiefs last night. Proctor is the glue to the Hurricanes backline and showed his consistency all the way through the campaign. His ability to read the game has gone up another level this year and he has also put himself right in the frame for national selection in a week's time.The good:
The Hurricanes did plenty of things well this year but what I really loved was our improvement at set piece. When Numia, Aumua and Lomax were together they formed a pretty formidable front row, unfortunately all of them received big injuries at various phases of the campaign so we didn't get to see their full potential. Hopefully in 2025 they stay fit and healthy.The bad:
Injuries and form. In my view the injuries to key players like Roigard, Delany, Lomax, Numia and Aumua at crucial times in the campaign prevented us from reaching our full potential. The biggest thing will be keeping these guys fit next year so we have our best squad available come playoff time. Form was also a major factor to us bailing out of the competition. You could argue we played our best rugby at the start and through the middle of the campaign before teetering off towards the playoffs. A huge lesson for Laidlaw is that to win Super Rugby it's a marathon and not a sprint.Gains and losses for 2025 (so far)
Key losses for 2025: Jordie Barrett, Josh Moorby
Key gains for 2025: Ardie SaveaRecruitment:
The Hurricanes have already locked down a large chunk of their squad for next year which will provide some consistency to help them push for title success. We know Ardie Savea is coming back and that will naturally lift expectations on this team to go all the way. Key recruitment areas for me are at hooker, first five and wing/fullback.-
Hooker: We need a strong hooker to back-up Aumua. O'Reilly was an improvement on previous seasons but his ceiling isn't the highest, Tuputupu showed glimpses of his potential but he has plenty of kinks to iron out, and there are a couple of other options in Jacob Devery and Vernon Bason to pick from within the environment. Whether we look outside for talent here is the big question.
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First five: Brett Cameron showed last night that he is just too limited to take this team all the way. The Hurricanes will be on the lookout for a quality ten before the next season commences. The Canes also have Harry Godfrey coming through, but he still has plenty to learn and prove before he gets continuous opportunity at this level.
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Wing/fullback: the Canes have a fair amount of recruitment to do in this space. Rayasi and Naholo are yet un-signed and it's already been announced that Moorby is jetting off the Montpellier. One obvious recruitment target will be Stanley Solomon, the jet shoes on this kid could be a point of difference for the Canes moving forward. They will want to lock him up on a contract but I don't think we'll see him on the park for at least year or two until he matures a bit more. Bailyn Sullivan is another player that's unsigned and he could be an option to fill that wing slot on the right.
Summary: overall, the Canes and Laidlaw can't be too displeased with their campaign this year. They've shown that when they play to their best they can blow anyone off the park. Next year will be all about kicking on from this year and taking their game to another level. There will be excitement aplenty in the Canes squad for 2025, let's see if they can convert that excitement and potential into a championship.
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