Hurricanes' backs in All Black contention because of what 'Rieko is not getting' at the Blues

The Hurricanes win over the Brumbies, the first by a New Zealand side on Australian soil, came after the return of a handful of key players to the Hurricanes.

Billy Proctor, recently re-signed to the end of 2027, and Riley Higgins, have bolstered the Hurricanes midfield which has immediately lifted the guys around them.

Sky Sport commentator Tony Johnson said that Proctor’s chances of starting for the All Blacks will increase if he continues this form with Rieko Ioane not firing in a struggling Blues team.

“They just create that little bit of time and space for Roigard, then he runs the game,” Johnson told the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin. 

“He creates things, you know, he keeps their opposition guessing all the time. Ruben Love is playing really well in the in the 10 jersey.”

The Hurricanes current halves of Cam Roigard and Ruben Love are the most productive in the competition when it comes to try involvements.

Roigard leads the entire competition with 13 while Love has eight (ranked ninth overall) for a combination of 21. The next best halves pairing have 13, set by the Chiefs’ Damian McKenzie and Cortez Ratima.

“But I thought the key to it was that that midfield fulcrum, and firstly, Billy Proctor,” he continued. 

“Lots of talk about Billy, and if he keeps playing that way, then he’s putting up a compelling case to have that All Black number 13 jersey for the test against France, because he is getting that little bit of time and space that Rieko Ioane is not getting at the Blues at the moment.”

Proctor finished with two line breaks and a try against the Brumbies but more importantly, both wings and starting fullback Callum Harkin also finished with two line breaks each for a total of eight for the outside backs.

The outside centre also logged double digits with 10 defenders beaten. That one game has bettered Rieko Ioane’s entire season output of seven.

The key to Proctor getting time on the ball according to Johnson was Riley Higgins, one of the most prolific offloaders in the country at No.12.

“But I think for him to function like that, a lot depends on what’s going on inside him. And don’t underestimate the importance of the return of Riley Higgins,” he said. 

“I really rate this guy. He’s big, he’s strong, but he just as well as using that well, he created that little bit of time and space for the guys outside him.

“And when they bring that back three into play, those sweeping back line movements, they can make simple look fantastic, but they also can just create mayhem.”

The biggest beneficiary of that in Canberra was left wing Kini Naholo who Johnson described as ‘unstoppable’. He finished with two tries and 123 running metres on the night.

“We know there are a lot of things they like about Caleb Clarke for that All Black left wing spot, particularly his ability to reclaim a kick off,” he said.

“But Kini Naholo for me, he was unstoppable.”

Host Martin Devlin described Naholo as a “bear” for his tackle-breaking ability: “there’s a couple of times there where he was like a bear. They just couldn’t actually get around him, could they? They couldn’t hold him down, and couldn’t he was just wrestling out of tackles.”

“Also looking for work too, and that that’s always something you want to see from from the wingers, and the way he went into that ruck burst away from there, I was thinking, remember [running back] Emmett Smith used to play for the Dallas Cowboys?”

“That to me was the standout result.”