'He is doing a truly outstanding job': Sky Sports commentator on Hurricanes first-five

Despite the Hurricanes losing two out of their first three games of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season, they have unearthed an exciting young prospect at first-five.

Harry Godfrey, who plays for the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in the Bunnings NPC competition, was moved to his less favoured first-five position from fullback when the Hurricanes needed a playmaker.

The Hurricanes’ injury list has been one of their biggest talking points throughout the first three rounds of the competition, with Ruben Love, Billy Proctor, Asafo Aumua, and Tyrel Lomax all missing time on the sidelines.

One of the more notable absences is first-five Brett Cameron, who likely would have been wearing the Hurricanes No.10 jersey if it wasn’t for his long-term knee injury.

Godfrey has taken his chance, impressing in his first three games of the new campaign.

Sky Sports commentator Tony Johnson has high hopes for the new Hurricanes first-five, saying his first three performances have been some of the best he’s seen.

“To me, Godfrey looks like a player with a very high ceiling, and I think it’s a credit to them, they’ve got a great coaching staff that Hurricanes team and they will encourage him, and they will back him in that role,” Johnson told Martin Devlin on the DSPN Podcast.

“He still is so brave, he’s not frightened to take the line on.

“He backs himself when he does, but he’s also kicking well off the tee and out of hand, and he’ll make his tackles.

Johnson also credits the players around the young first-five, enabling him to play freely with ball in hand.

“But the thing I like about Harry Godfrey is that he’s also he’s had that experience at fullback, so he’s seen what’s in front of him. Now he’s applying that knowledge to that very demanding role of wearing the No.10 Jersey, and he is doing a truly outstanding job.

“Now he has got one of the world’s elite players inside him, Cameron Roigard, who I noticed at the weekend didn’t run a lot. He was just really clearing the ball, really clearing it well.

“Having Peter Umanga-Jensen outside him, you’ve got that force of Umaga Jensen, Sullivan in the centres. So he’s got real solid and perhaps elite status players in terms of Roigard around him, but he’s just functioning so well.”

Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw is proud of his young playmaker, and he believes that Godfrey has turned into a solid Super Rugby first-five.

“Outstanding really, he’s really taken to what it means to be a first-five at Super Rugby level,” Laidlaw told The Breakdown on Sky Sport.

“He’s really put his hand up during the week to really try and lead and organise the game plan with the coaches and the other leaders within the team.

“It’s pretty exciting that he’s only really played one actual game at first-five for Hawke’s Bay and the rest was at fullback and we’re loving what he’s doing.”