Hurricanes' playmaker woes could be cured sooner than expected

The Hurricanes’ days of limping through the 2025 season without two of their three premier No. 10s may soon be over.

Burgeoning star Harry Godfrey is just weeks away from his expected return, and now it appears there’s a chance fans could yet see Brett Cameron in the 2025 campaign, too.

The one-cap All Black tore his ACL last October, but is set to return to the rugby pitch this weekend, two months ahead of the typical recovery timeline for such an injury.

“He’s off to club rugby this week. He’s going to play club rugby the next two weekends, and we will go from there,” Hurricanes head coach Laidlaw told media this week.

“Testing went unreal. Him and the medical crew, I couldn’t speak more highly of our staff and the work they have done with him as well as the work he’s done.

“He’s a little bit nervous and a little bit excited in the same breath. He’s going to play 40 minutes this weekend and we’ll see how he goes after those two weeks.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

3

Draws

0

Wins

2

Average Points scored

25

22

First try wins

60%

Home team wins

60%

There are five weeks remaining in the Super Rugby Pacific round-robin before the playoffs begin, meaning a positive return to club rugby over the coming weeks would give Cameron plenty of time to don Hurricanes colours this year.

Earlier this month, Laidlaw revealed Cameron was heading to Australia for a test that would prove the strength and power of his knee, saying if that test went well, there’s a chance he could complete his miraculous recovery with a return to Super Rugby.

The coach labelled Cameron’s work ethic throughout his recovery “ridiculous”, as evidenced by the seven-month turnaround from surgery.

In the meantime, the Wellingtonians must cling to the playoff berth they currently own by the narrowest of margins. Leading them in that goal will be Ruben Love, who has made an impressive impact since moving up from fullback into the primary playmaker role.

Their defence of that top-five seeding faces the tallest task Super Rugby has to offer this weekend, when the team host the ladder-leading Chiefs.

Although the visitors will be without the services of mercurial superstar Damian McKenzie, Josh Jacomb has proven to be a more than capable game driver. Both teams will be hoping some wild weather around the capital will dissipate in time for the contest, after a rare “threat to life” wind warning was issued on Thursday.

The Hurricanes are a team taking strides back towards contention thanks to an improving bill of health. Laidlaw is confident his men will return to heavyweight status should his stars continue to come back fit and healthy.

“We know we’ve had a tricky year with guys in and out, and we haven’t played as well as we’d have liked, but we also know how good we can be,” Laidlaw added.

“When we get closer to full strength, I think you’ve seen in glimpses what we can do.

“If we can get a run of games and keep the bodies healthy, then we’re certainly confident we can play our hand in the back end of the season.”