Aisle be Back: Hurricanes v Blues

The Hurricanes forwards get stuck in during their win over the Waratahs last weekend. 

• By Kevin McCarthy 

Super Rugby Pacific keeps getting betterer – although some worried franchises are praying it would actually translate into backsides on seats.

One number-cruncher has done some very interesting research showing it is not in our imagination. The matches are closer, the blowouts are far fewer, the lead changes  happen more often, and upsets are more frequent  – in short, more entertaining.

The crunching is done by a Brisbane academic Dimitri Perrin who also does some work for the Queensland Reds.

He looks at three seasons, including the current one, and how they stack up against the rival Top 14 and United Rugby Championship.

There it’s good news too, across all the metrics.

Check it out if you are of a mind to, on rugbypass.com

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Different week – same equation for the Hurricanes. Keep winning.

Magnificent to see them put the Waratahs to the sword last weekend – the Aussies now facing Moana Pasifika in what threatens to be another whacking. That’s if Moana can repeat the formula they uncorked to emasculate the Crusaders,

‘The Canes of course are at Eden Park – and surely with their best chance in ages to flip the script on something of a bogey team. The Blues are having a desperate time of it – it’s just whether that turns to desperation tomorrow night.

Fools rush in – but here’s my hunches for winners – Chiefs, Moana, Drua, Hurricanes, and the Force. Yeah, clearly riding the underdogs in some of these picks.

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In the early 1970s, at primary school age, I used to played hockey for Dalefield club in the Wairarapa. The second team. I was a winger – my job was to inexpertly hack my way into some clear space – and centre the ball in for the centre forwards to score. But I hankered to be a fullback – and was given a one game try-out.

Let’s say it didn’t work out. So be careful what you ask for. And so, onto a slightly higher performance level.

I and many others will be watching intently to see how Sevu Reece goes in the midfield for the Crusaders. Now he’s thrilled with the opportunity – in a way that a baffled Christian Cullen was not delighted to become a world cup centre.

Reece says he used to play midfield before coming to the Crusaders – and being converted into a winger, and the lethal scoring machine that he is at Super level.

Thus, he has the ambition and the muscle memory to play this position. However, thinking to the most recent example – Rieko Ioane’s conversion  from wing to centre – that seemed to take ages to bed in. Some might say it still hasn’t quite jelled.

One thing is for sure – the Crusaders won’t be without firepower on the flanks against the Drua in Suva – it may be the most entertaining game of the round.

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Saturday’s games at at Eden Park are a double header with Hurricanes Poua vs Blues women. The Poua will kick-off at 4:35PM followed by the men at 7:05PM.

The Hurricanes team to play the Blues on Saturday at 7.05pm is:

1. Xavier Numia
2. Asafo Aumua (Co Captain)
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Caleb Delany
5. Isaia Walker-Leawere
6. Brayden Iose
7. Du’Plessis Kirifi (Co Captain)
8. Peter Lakai
9. Cam Roigard
10. Riley Hohepa
11. Kini Naholo
12. Peter Umaga-Jensen
13. Bailyn Sullivan
14. Ngatungane Punivai
15. Ruben Love

IMPACT

16. Jacob Devery

17.Pouri Rakete-Stones

18. Pasilio Tosi

19. Will Tucker

20.Brad Shields

21. Ereatara Enari

22.Callum Harkin

1. Fatafehi Fineanganofo

UNAVAILABLE DUE TO INJURY