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Hurricanes' Boyd era finishes but Crusaders chase just beginning - Season Review
The insurmountable task of toppling the Crusaders in Christchurch ended a largely successful Hurricanes season, but more significantly, the end of the Chris Boyd era for the franchise.
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Handshakes all round in the coaches box at the end of last night’s heavy defeat symbolized the changing of the guard to assistant coach John Plumtree. Boyd’s final hurrah won’t be a fairytale run, but he will leave as the franchise’s most successful coach with a revered list of achievements that the Hurricanes franchise will cherish for a long time.
Under Boyd’s watch, the team made back-to-back finals, winning a maiden title the second time around, reached the final four in the next two seasons and won 77% of their regular season games in a four-year span. For a long-suffering fan base, this was more than you could ask for.
The ‘sleeping giant’ of New Zealand rugby that had six playoff appearances in their first 19 years of existence was finally awake, and they were a force to be reckoned with.
The Hurricanes came of age around a young core of local talent – Jeff To’omaga-Allen, Dane Coles, Brad Shields, Victor Vito, T.J. Perenara, Beauden Barrett, Julian Savea and Ardie Savea whilst veterans like Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu and Cory Jane finished their careers with the franchise in its best ever shape.
This generation was on the verge of a dynasty – the 2015 shock loss to the Highlanders took a legitimate title out of their hands after a franchise-best 14-2 season. The 2016 championship will be the crowning achievement of Boyd’s Hurricanes legacy, finally turning the team into winners and leaving an appetite for more success.
The backend of this period with two semifinal losses just kept multiple titles out of reach, with the rapid rise of the Crusaders quickly taking over the New Zealand conference with a scary ascension of their own.
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The season that started with a loss to the Bulls quickly got back on track with a 10-game winning streak, fuelled by derby wins at home. It was only the trip to Christchurch in Round 15 that knocked the Hurricanes off their pedestal, with a two-game skid before the June tests giving up pole position in the conference.
A third loss in a row to the Brumbies sealed their fate as a ‘best qualifier’ playoff team, handing the conference to the Crusaders.
At 10-1 in mid-May, the side will be disappointed with a final 11-5 record. The away legs of each New Zealand derby proved to be the difference, with only a victory over the Blues. The Hurricanes are a different side at home, proving that with a 9-0 record including the quarterfinal win over the Chiefs.
The second age of Crusader dominance has arrived just as the Hurricanes looked like cashing in. The way the semi-final panned out doesn’t also bode well for the future, with a seemingly growing gap between the two sides.
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The end of this season leaves the Hurricanes in a precarious position – they still have a number of experienced players but have roster churn that will be difficult to overcome.
The team was able to live without Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu after 2015 with youngsters Matt Proctor, Willis Halaholo, Ngani Laumape and Vince Aso stepping up, but as the unheralded pieces keep departing, the pressure to replace them without a hiccup rises. As does the odds of actually doing so.
Brad Shields, Julian Savea, Blade Thomson, Michael Fatialofa and Ihaia West will all leave after this season. While Ihaia West was a short-term stopgap from the Blues, all of the other four have been important starters during this run.
The Hurricanes pack has punched above its weight for most of the Boyd era, but this year’s pack was missing that extra dose of athleticism as injuries took a toll. The pack looked outmatched against the Crusaders in both away games, and a late-season loss to the lowly Brumbies was an ominous sign that things were slipping.
The front row stocks held experience with Toby Smith, Chris Eves, Ben May and Jeff To’omaga-Allen but could do with some more youth having lost Reggie Goodes to retirement and Loni Uhila the year before to France. The franchise will be hoping that 20-year-old Alex Fidow continues to make strides in this year’s Mitre 10 Cup for next year. Only Smith and Fidow are confirmed for next season so far.
The status of 31-year-old hooker Dane Coles also remains a question in the midst of a long-term injury layoff. Ricky Riccitelli has been invaluable in Coles’ absence and looks to be a long-term starter. Asafo Aumua didn’t have the debut season he would have wanted, cut short by injury after only a few bench appearances.
With Fatialofa heading to England, Vaea Fifita shapes as the foundation of the second row. The Hurricanes will be hoping New Zealand under-20 star Isaia Walker-Leawere can push Sam Lousi for the other starting spot.
Gareth Evans was a revelation for the Hurricanes this year and his addition could be the best signing of 2018. He covered all three loose forward roles and finished at openside despite playing most of the season at number eight. He will be an important figure with the side losing Shields, and seems likely to fill that role so promising youngster Reed Prinseep can play number eight. Ardie Savea has re-signed for one year and will hope to return to his best form following a run of injuries.
Halves TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett shape as important leaders for the franchise who will be plotting how to overcome the Crusaders juggernaut. The addition of Carlos Spencer as an assistant coach could be a masterstroke. Having his experience in the room could help evolve Barrett’s passing game. As a player who proved to be a handful for the Crusaders in his own playing days, he will no doubt have some ideas how to take down this side.
The backs have midfield depth with Vince Aso, Ngani Laumape, Matt Proctor and the versatile Jordie Barrett returning. Boyd has expressed how much Proctor makes a difference for this side, and they will be hoping he will shake the injury bug to play injury-free next year.
Wes Goosen and Ben Lam look to push for the starting wings after the departure of Savea, with Nehe-Milner Skudder available as fullback/wing cover as well. Young backs Peter Umaga-Jensen and Jonah Lowe should also be retained and both could feature more prominently in 2019. Lowe can cover centre/wing and Umaga-Jensen both midfield positions and fullback.
This team will still be one of the top three in the competition, and 2019 is another chance to capture a title. The best chance the Hurricanes have is winning back home ground advantage throughout the playoffs by finishing top of the New Zealand conference, which is how they made the final in both 2015 and 2016.
This means no hiccups against Australian teams and trying to win two or three of the away New Zealand derbies, as well as remaining undefeated at home. They have a better chance of doing that next year with away derbies earlier in the season, such as playing the Crusaders in February at the end of summer in Christchurch.
The Boyd era at the Hurricanes may have finished but the Crusader chase has just begun.
Comments on RugbyPass
Beaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to comments