Hurricanes vs Blues
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Jeez the Canes are the real sh*t now. So good.
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@foobaNZ yeah super refreshing. So much better than Holland always shoe-horning the likes of James Blackwell, Reed Prinsep and Julian Savea into the side every week when clearly they weren't up to it.
Clark Laidlaw seems to be picking players on form despite experience which is great to see. He isn't afraid to give Higgins the hot seat as a starter even though he's super young, whereas if Holland was in charge he would have given the gig to Umaga-Jensen based on the fact he's the more experienced player.
The players seem to have brought into the culture set by Laidlaw and that was strongly evident in the way they pulled through against the Reds, that will put us in good stead when the going gets tough later in the season.
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@mariner4life it's our year.
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@Duluth I think home advantage is a big one here, both teams look fairly even on paper so that could be the difference.
Canes fans have every right to be confident, we've had to deal with an incompetent coach for so long so hopefully it's all rainbows and butterflies from here.
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@Canes4life said in Hurricanes vs Blues:
@Duluth I think home advantage is a big one here, both teams look fairly even on paper so that could be the difference.
Canes fans have every right to be confident, we've had to deal with an incompetent coach for so long so hopefully it's all rainbows and butterflies from here.
There's reasons for Canes fans to be confident. Canes set piece has been more consistent (including kickoffs in that). The Blues defence needs to tighten up too.
However regarding the change of coach, is Laidlaw that much of an improvement? A game against the Force and being taken to extra time by the Reds is a small sample size. Also isn't that offset by the loss of Ardie & Jordie (for this match)?
Since 2020 the two sides the results have gone 6-2 in the Blues favour, 3-1 in Wellington: Blues v Canes 2020-Now
Mostly close matches and the Canes have a big chance this week. Blues deserve to be slight favourites though
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@Duluth I think the major improvement for the Canes has been Laidlaw picking the right players. Holland never picked players on form over his tenure, instead he picked players on reputation with the hope they would find form through playing mins and it never worked, leaving us fans super frustrated. The Canes have had the talent over the last two/three seasons but Holland failed to utilise it VS Laidlaw who isn't afraid to throw players into the cauldron even when they are less experienced so to speak i.e. starting Tosi, Vijoen, Lakai, Higgins etc.
Another factor which brings a huge amount of hope is that 90% of this Canes side have been together now for three or four seasons so there should be a natural uplift in performance as the team matures, which I think they are doing now. I remember the Crusaders pinpointed a few years back that the golden average age of your squad should be around 25/26, the Canes now have that average.
Obviously, we can't fully judge Laidlaw yet because there have only been two rounds but signs are positive that the foundation is there. Similar to what the Blues went through post 2020 after losing to the bigger NZ sides for years (including the Canes).
Also 2020 coinsided with you guys stealing Beaudy from us so there is also that.
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@Canes4life said in Hurricanes vs Blues:
Also 2020 coinsided with you guys stealing Beaudy from us so there is also that
his wife relocated him. Sorry.
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@nzzp said in Hurricanes vs Blues:
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes vs Blues:
Also 2020 coinsided with you guys stealing Beaudy from us so there is also that
his wife relocated him. Sorry.
The old honey trap. The Blues will stop at nothing to get back to the top.
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@Crazy-Horse a few $$ from outside parties definitely sweetened the deal.
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Cotter comments on this weeks selections, keeping players fresh etc
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350204928/super-rugby-pacific-blues-play-long-game-hoskins-sotutu-bench-gamble -
I think it's very easy to say Laidlaw is picking on form instead of experience. Who are the experienced options that he could be picking?
Is PUJ even fit? Is Sullivan? Did they feature for the Hurricanes Hunters the other week? With Perenara and Judd injured, a guy like Viljoen was always going to get a go - similar with Lakai etc. Laidlaw might be making more bold selections calls than Holland, but it's also possible that Holland would be making similar calls right now.
It's also funny how quickly the tide turns on what players are considered good or not. It wasn't that long ago that Billy Proctor was considered a waste of space by most people on here whereas PUJ was the great midfield saviour.
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@Mr-Fish said in Hurricanes vs Blues:
It wasn't that long ago that Billy Proctor was considered a waste of space by most people on here whereas PUJ was the great midfield saviour.
Because of performances on the field. PUJ was given every opportunity during last year's NPC and didn't measure up. Whereas Proctor has improved out of sight in recent years.
but it's also possible that Holland would be making similar calls right now.
Holland and Gibbes were poor selectors. Some of their lock selections were idiotic. They preferred 1.90 locks or smaller. And regardless of performance they always went back to their favorites. Including rubbish like Blackwell or Morgan etc.
What I've seen so far, this year gives me hope. No more stupid selections that were made with both the Canes under Holland and Wellington under Ellison. I hope it continues.
