Aisle be Back: Hurricanes v Force and the aura of Tana Umaga

Riley Higgins runs on to a pass in a recent Hurricanes Hunters match. Higgins returns to the Hurricanes via the bench for his 19th Super Rugby cap, 10 months after breaking his leg against the Highlanders and missing the rest of the year. 

• By Kevin McCarthy 

I once had to interview Tana Umaga, sometime last century, or early this one. I get centuries mixed up these days.

I had my microphone out front, but at a respectful distance for the Hurricanes skipper.

But he kept closing the gap, like a creeping backline defensive set. I kept inching back, he kept advancing. Definitely a bloke with an aura.

I’d very much like to see how newish Blues CEO Karl Budge would go in a similar face to face with Umaga, after a bit of excellent buildup to this Sunday’s clash between the two sides at Eden Park.

To give you a taste:

Asked whether the Blues rivalry is personal, Moana Pasifika coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga didn’t hesitate.

“Oh f*** yeah.”

And this:

“I don’t know if they [the Blues] realise there are two professional rugby teams in this city, but we do know that they don’t want us here.”

Umaga clarified his scorn is reserved for the exec suite at Blues HQ, not the team. The chief gripe being that Moana Pasifika can’t hold more than five games a season in the Blues region.

Over to the C-suite at Eden Park, where Karl Budge tried to be diplomatic, saying Umaga was just trying to drum up rivalry ahead of the game.  A little bit on the nose, as in a different interview this week, he said he’d love to see something like the tribalism of the old Canterbury-Auckland rivalry.

In fact, he got positively nostalgic about the infamous photo of a boy perched on dad’s shoulder holding the sign, We Hate You Auckland.

Actually Budge, with his ASB Open pedigree, has many more tools at his disposal, and the smarts to use them, as he works to get fans back through the gates.

If that works, then perhaps a bit more slack can be cut for Moana Pasifika, so everyone wins.

But yeah, some edge now to Sunday – and the sort of spice fans actually want to see.

+++++++++

The Hurricanes really have to keep hitting their straps tonight against the Force – after showing up the Waratahs last weekend in scary fashion.

They’ve got a relatively gentle schedule of matches to start with – and that continues until round 7, followed by their second bye.

Then it gets torrid for the rest of the comp, by and large, with a succession of New Zealand derbies.

By then, the Hurricanes better have full sail on if they aspire to the finals.

The Hurricanes have made some changes, including two notable inclusions on the bench.

These see Wainuiomata’s Ruben Love riding the pine and returning for his first game of the year after sustaining an ankle injury in pre-season earlier in February. The second is the inclusion of Riley Higgins sidling up alongside Love on the bench and looking from going from amorous to glamourous when he takes the field at this level for the first time since last May.

Higgins rehabbed his broken leg injury that he sustained against the Highlanders in May last year but took a knock recently in a return fixture but has subsequently been involved in the Hurricanes Hunters Development games.

Higgins’ Petone teammate Brad Shields also starts his first game, at blindside flanker, whilst another Petone player, Peter Lakai, has been rotated out of the squad this week.

HURRICANES TEAM TO PLAY WESTERN FORCE (Hurricanes caps in brackets)

1. Pouri Rakete-Stones (54)
2. Jacob Devery (20)
3. Pasilio Tosi (40)
4. Caleb Delany (41)
5. Isaia Walker-Leawere (81)
6. Brad Shields (131)
7. Du’Plessis Kirifi (94) – co-captain
8. Devan Flanders (59)
9. Cam Roigard (50)
10. Callum Harkin (13)
11. Fehi Fineanganofo (15)
12. Jordie Barrett (114) – co-captain
13. Jone Rova (3)
14. Bailyn Sullivan (43)
15. Josh Moorby (41)
16. Asafo Aumua (78)
17. Xavier Numia (79)
18. Tyrel Lomax (70)
19. Warner Dearns (3)
20. Brayden Iose (54)
21. Jordi Viljoen (5)
22. Ruben Love (43)
23. Riley Higgins (18)

UNAVAILABLE DUE TO INJURY

Tony Tafa (concussion): 1 week
Taine Roiri (hamstring): 5 weeks
Jai Tamati (ankle): 6-8 weeks
Brett Cameron (knee): Expected to miss season
Harry Godfrey (knee): Expected to miss season
Josh Timu (foot): 4-6 weeks
Ngane Punivai (hamstring): TBC