Brayden Iose on Hurricanes' 'perfect storm', Aaron Smith and Manawatu royalty

On August 28, Manawatu officially marks its 140th Anniversary with a special dinner at Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North.

For the last decade, or seven per cent of the Union’s existence, Brayden Iose has been a vital part of the furniture.

The strapping loose forward debuted in a 25-20 win against Southland on September 30, 2017, in Invercargill, a year after captaining the New Zealand Secondary Schools.

He has since made 56 appearances for the Turbos, winning the Manawatu Player of the Year award three times. In 2019 he scored a try in the famous 32-29 win against Canterbury in Christchurch, Nick Croswell’s 100th game.

“140, that’s a special milestone. It’s a proud union, especially when you think of the legends that have passed through like Bruce Hemara, Frank Oliver, Gary Knight, Aaron Cruden,” Iose mused with RugbyPass.

“When I first joined the team, Jamie Booth, Jason Emery and Antonio Kiri Kiri took me under their wing and instilled trust and confidence. My biggest Manawatu rugby hero is properly Nuggy, Aaron Smith. He showed you can go right to the top from a small town. He owned his position for years, absolutely world class.

“What’s the goal? Win games. Give the region a reason to be proud of us. We’ve got quite a few Super Rugby players now so it’s like we’re not completely rebuilding anymore.”

Iose played through 16 consecutive losses for the Turbos. He scored a try in a 31-30 win against Northland in Palmerston North in 2023 that broke that sequence.

Few players won more than Aaron Smith, who achieved exactly 100 wins in 125 All Blacks Tests. Manawatu were far from winners in their first round outing to Northland on Sunday, going down 40-14. It was their biggest loss to the Taniwha since a 49-19 defeat in 2018. Iose made 17 tackles without a miss. The same couldn’t be said about his teammates.

“We didn’t nail our physicality; it let us down. We’ve talked a lot this week about bigger efforts on and off the ball and what that looks like,” Iose said.

“We’ve got a good balance between youth and experience. Guys coming from Super Rugby environments have a better grasp of what it is to be professional week in and week out. We have to be better at nailing our roles,” Iose stressed.

“The young talent coming through is unreal. Palmy Boys won the Super 8 last year, and Feilding was second in New Zealand. That brings a lot of excitement and optimism.

“Wes Clarke is a second-year coach now. He’s direct to the point, which I enjoy. He has deep ties to the region and is passionate about growing the region.”

Manawatu didn’t have issues scoring points last year, scoring 39 tries, which was enough to win three out of ten games. However, they had the worst defence, conceding 61 tries. Against Auckland, they surrendered a 22-12 lead to lose 52-29. Against this weekend’s opponents, Southland, they inexplicably blew a 22-0 lead.

“That was a bit of a shocker,” Iose admitted.

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend. It’s a chance to make a statement. We respect Southland. However, we’re determined to put on a good show in front of our home fans.”

Manawatu do have the individual threats to stagger the Stags. Winger Taniela Filimone scored eight tries in 2025 while centre Kyle Brown ranked among the top 20 linebreakers in the NPC. Captain TK Howden was the top tackler in Super Rugby Pacific with the Highlanders and also won 55 lineouts, ranking inside the Top 10. Loose forward Mosese Bason and prop Logan Wallace are recent New Zealand Under-20 selections. Former All Black Ngani Laumape comes off the bench. Unfortunately, Hurricanes hookers Raymond Tuputupu and Vernon Bason are injured.

Nothing was stopping the Hurricanes from charging to their second Super Rugby Pacific title. The Hurricanes won 14 of 17 games in 2026, passing 50 points in a single game a record eight times. This included playoff romps of the Brumbies (66-12), Blues (57-21) and Chiefs (60-5) in Wellington. Iose started seven of 16 matches, passed the century mark for tackles and scored three tries. He has played 67 matches for the Hurricanes with 45 wins, scoring 17 tries.

“The Hurricanes were a perfect storm. In the final, 15 of the 22 guys had played 50 or more games. When you play that often together, you have an innate trust in each other and a clear understanding of what to do. It was awesome to be a part of,” Iose said.

“That three-week playoff stretch where we put on 60 points in each game is unheard of. I haven’t been part of a team that’s played better than we did in the final.”

“This NPC is different. It’s about building week to week. Last Sunday wasn’t good enough against Northland. We go again against Southland.”

Manawatu against Southland at Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North, kicks off at 5:05 pm on Sunday.