Hurricanes' co-captains losing the plot and the coach's reaction a sorry sight after loss to Blues
It’s hard to know what was worse for Hurricanes fans on Saturday night. The sight of their co-captains losing the plot completely, or the quotes from their rookie head coach afterwards?
Let’s deal with referee Mike Fraser quickly and then move on to the relevant part of the Blues’ 24-15 win over the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium.
I don’t care whether Fraser was right to brandish cards at Tyrel Lomax, Vaea Fifita and Jordie Barrett and I especially don’t care that New Zealand Rugby referees’ boss Bryce Lawrence later endorsed the sin bins and send-off. Lawrence single-handedly butchered more games of rugby than just about any referee in recent memory and is always going to side with officiousness.
What was actually interesting about the cards Fraser showed was how poorly the Hurricanes copped them. Captains TJ Perenara and Dane Coles quickly became incensed at the referee and the Blues and ceased to have any control over themselves or their team.
Number 8 Gareth Evans effectively took over, chaperoning Perenara during his conversations with Fraser and trying to convince the referee that the team remained of sound mind.
It’s just that as one card followed another, that became a harder and harder point to argue.
Coles is Coles. He exists on the edge and needs to, both for his sake and the team’s.
He’s also a man who’s been driven mad by the many injuries that have blighted the last three or four years of his career. When fit, Coles remains a quality contributor, but there is an element of him raging against the dying of the light.
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Perenara, as we know, is an admirable man. A man whose greatest contribution to New Zealand will probably come when his playing days are over.
What that looks like, and exactly how he leads change in this country, remains to be seen, but you feel relatively confident Perenara will develop into a figure of real social significance.
In the meantime, though, he can be niggled on a rugby field and he can be distracted and can be consumed by settling scores and that’s what happened on Saturday.
But that’s not why the Hurricanes lost the game and nor was it the fault of Fraser’s cards.
The Hurricanes beat themselves because of their lazy gameplan and lack of thought. They assumed (wrongly) that, having run rings around the Sunwolves, they could be similarly careless against the Blues.
The Hurricanes showed no respect for possession, nor their opponents, and will lose plenty more Super Rugby games this season if they continue in that vein. Worryingly, there’s every indication that frivolous footy is their preferred method in 2020.
“The reality is, if we played 15 on 15, I think we win the game,’’ Holland said after the 24-15 defeat.
Again, I didn’t love seeing Fraser reduce the Hurricanes to 12 players, but I don’t quibble with his decision-making. My disappointment would be with the laws and the power that referees possess.
If I were to criticise Fraser, it would be for the shepherds he let the Blues get away with, the forward passes and the instances when chasers were in front of a kicker. Even if they’re not why the Hurricanes lost the game.
No, they did that all on their own because of their insistence on doing things easy.
There’s ambition and then there’s arrogance and complacency and the Hurricanes were definitely guilty of those. Of throwing the ball away without care for the repercussions and of assuming the Blues would be as bad as the Sunwolves had been the week before.
Worse, at a time when the team needed its leaders to take stock and find a less hazardous, more methodical way of accumulating points, the Hurricanes’ co-captains were at war with the referee and a variety of Blues.
But, hey, little wonder the players didn’t seek to change anything, when the head coach insists it was only the cards that cost the team victory.
Hurricanes’ coach Jason Holland answers questions from RugbyPass fans:
Comments on RugbyPass
Think you might have written this just before the Brumbies got thrashed last weekend
5 Go to commentsI really do believe that Billy Proctor should be selected at least in the larger squad but also it would be my choice at 13, much more a center than Ioane who can still play at wing. Roigard if fit should play, otherwise it should be Perenara or Christie. Also, Iose could deserve a spot at blindside. Of course, being a Canes supporter I’m biased but I really believe that at least Billy P is deserving a chance and being Holland one of the Selectors, I’m having a little hope he could grab it.
12 Go to commentsI would not play Swinton I’d pick Wright or Hanigan. The rest are decent starters, but can’t agree on any subs except Tupou. My take on the subs: Gibbon, Ueslese, Tupou, LSL, Wilson, White, Will Harrison, and Petaia.
5 Go to commentsSBW the biggest moron to pull on a black jersey a park footy player at best
7 Go to commentsSBW is fast becoming a laughing stock, his misplaced comments & lack of insight Is actually pretty sad.
7 Go to commentsJust well you guys are couch 🛋 potatoes selector's, picking a team of greenhorns to play England! “What are you people smoking?” The halfbacks will be Christie, Fakatava, Perenara Props; Newell, Bower, Lomax, Tunga'fasi, Hookers; Asosa Amua when fit, Taylor, Samisoni,
12 Go to commentsQuite frankly, all this is a bit pathetic. The first time Wales get the Wooden Spoon in 21 years and everyone is on the bandwagon for a ‘play-off’ game. Wales have no obligation to Georgia and no obligation to the rest of the Six Nations to play such a game. If they want Georgia in so badly then they need to include South Africa into a Northern Hemisphere competition with 2 leagues of 4 teams with the top 2 competing for the Championship. Sadly, this will end Triple Crowns and Grand Slams forever. Is this really what you want?
4 Go to commentsI think Finau to start Blackadder to come on. Poss Prokter instead of Ioane, haven't seen much from Reiko so far this year.
12 Go to commentsJoe will have had a good chat with Dave Rennie, a smart move to begin with while it’s doubtful Fast Eddie will be consulted? Plenty of Aus players hitting top form so they should go OK.
5 Go to commentsMmm. Not sure I like this article or see it as necessary.
7 Go to commentsBlackadder but no Finau! 😀 It’s Razor so you are probably right, plus Taylor at 2…
12 Go to commentsThe strongest possible AB side would actually include Aaron Smith, Bodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Shannon Frizzel.. don’t get me started on the rest of the injury hit brigade that got flung on the heap so left. Many a whole not getting filled as of yet.
12 Go to commentsI don’t think anyone knows what Schmidt will do, one thing is certain it ain’t gonna be all the picks we on the keyboard will think. My impression of him is that he will be looking at who can step up and what is the best combination. He will ignore individuals as he looks for guys who can build a powerful team and not just guys who can make a flashy run or ignore the winger as they want to score themselves.
5 Go to commentsSome dumb selections there. Not Porecki Not Donaldson Not Gordon Not Lonegran - both Not Nic White - Fines instead Not Liam Wright Not Paisami Definitely not Vunivalu Other than that not bad.
5 Go to commentsI've never been convinced that Patty T is a test match all black. Otherwise I probably agree it's the best side available to beat the poms. Caveat that Codie Taylor is yet to be seen and could very likely warrant selection by June. I hope that Razor brings the young loosies, half backs and locks into the training squad and develops/ selects the best
12 Go to commentsYou doing the same thing I disliked about the example of Samisoni Taukei'aho, Nick. He’s great the way he is, you’re trying to do what modern-day coaches frustrate me doing, turning everyone into the perfect athlete. Next thing you’ll be telling me you’ll bench him until he’s hit that arbitrary marker, and can’t overtake the current guy who’s doing all his workons. He’s a young Kieran Read, through and through, plays wide and has threat, mainly (and evident in your clips) through his two hand carry and speed. Just let him work on that, or whatever he wants, and determine his own future. Play God and you risk the players going sideways, like Read did, instead of being a Toutai Kefu. I mean I was in the same camp for a while, wanting our tight five to have the size, and carry ability, as the teams they were getting beat by. Now I’m starting to believe those teams just have better skilled and practiced individuals, bigger by upwards of 5kg sometimes, sure, but more influentially they have those intrinsic skills of trust and awareness. Basically our guys just didn’t know wtf they were doing. Don’t think I’m trying to prove a point here but hasn’t Caleb Clarke been in much better form this year, or does he just ‘look’ better now that he’s not always trying to use his size?
44 Go to commentsThe pack lacks a little in height for the line out and I wouldn’t be completely convinced by some of the combinations till we see it in action.
12 Go to commentsThe side is good but lacks experience. International playing bona fides udually trumps super rugby form for good reason. And incumbents are usually stuck with. Codie Taylor should start or come off the bench. B Barrett will start at fullback. Blackadder has not earned the position, Finau has. TJs experience and competitiveness earns him a starting role, Christie or Ratima off the bench
12 Go to commentsPretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
12 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to comments