1
Where does this Hurricanes side rank among the franchise's all-time teams
The 2024 Hurricanes won’t become the first team in Super Rugby history to put forth an undefeated season, but they may just become the best Hurricanes team in franchise history.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are three other vintages of the Canes that are in the conversation as best ever, the 2006, 2015 and 2016 teams.
The 2016 championship team had eight All Blacks starting in the run-on XV including Beauden Barrett and Ardie Savea, and two further internationals in Brad Shields (England) and Willis Halaholo (Wales).
They had future Irish international Jamison Gibson-Park on the bench, along with another All Black in Julian Savea.
After going 11-4 in the regular season to secure the number one seed, they ran through Sharks, Chiefs and Lions to claim the title.
However, there were three other New Zealand teams who also finished with an 11-4 record that season, the Highlanders, Crusaders, and Chiefs.
By a whisker the Hurricanes claimed the top spot on bonus points. Due to the deluded conference system, the other teams had to go on the road for the playoffs and the Hurricanes had a distinct advantage which proved vital.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Hurricanes vintage of 2015 was arguably a better side. They went 14-2 in the regular season and were undisputedly the best side in the competition.
They had the all-time midfield combination of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith, while Nehe Milner-Skudder was on one wing in the form of his life and Julian Savea was still the starter on the left.
Nonu and Smith departed New Zealand after 2015 while in 2016 Milner-Skudder was injured down the stretch and Savea had dropped out of the starting team.
Of course, the 2015 side fell to the Highlanders at the final hurdle and didn’t get the job done, but finished with a 16-3 overall record compared to 14-4 held by the 2016 team.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 2006 team coached by Colin Cooper is only other Hurricanes side to make the final.
They finished with a 10-3 record, enough for second place on the ladder behind the 11-1-1 Crusaders. The two teams would met in the ‘fog final’, one of Super Rugby’s biggest atrocities.
We were hardly able to see the action as the Crusaders secured the title by 19-12.
The Hurricanes backline was stacked with All Blacks, Isaia Toeava at fullback, Tana Umaga and Ma’a Nonu in the midfield, Piri Weepu at halfback. A young Tamati Ellison sat on the bench. Samoan international winger Lome Fa’atau bagged 10 tries to led the competition that year.
The late Jerry Collins and Rodney So’oialo led the backrow. They were the best ever Hurricanes side until 2015.
The 2024 Hurricanes currently are 9-1 and sit in pole position as we enter the final stretch of the season. They are one competition point ahead of the Blues and this week’s clash will prove decisive for the final standings.
This vintage of the Hurricanes doesn’t have as many established All Blacks as the great sides of the past, but that is expected to change over the coming years.
It’s no surprise that this Hurricanes side are proving to be strong after Wellington captured the NPC title in 2022 with many of these players.
The team that beat Canterbury in the final had TJ Perenara, Riley Higgins, Billy Proctor, Julian Savea and Ruben Love in the backline. Richard Judd and Aidan Morgan were on the bench.
Up front they had Peter Lakai, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Caleb Delany, Asafo Aumua and Xavier Numia wth James O’Reilly in the reserves.
The Hurricanes have the Wellington 2022 championship core scattered with many from both NPC finalists in 2023, Taranaki and Hawkes Bay.
The depth of the 2024 side is real weapon with the Hurricanes able to change up the entire team and still blow teams off the pitch, like the Melbourne Rebels game in round four.
They are one of the most prolific attacking sides in the competition ranking either first or second in points scored (35.8 pg), tries scored (5.1 pg), line breaks (8.1 pg), defenders beaten and offloads.
If they were to finish the season on top of the ladder with just one or two losses and go on to claim the title they would be in the debate with the 2016 team as the best ever team in club history.
If they were to stumble over the last month and lose the number one seed, but still go on to win the title, they would fall short of the 2016 side but enter Hurricanes folklore.
They could completely surpass the 2016 side if they were able to win back-to-back titles this year and next, which the club has never done. That’s obviously way too far ahead for now.
The Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 is coming to England. Register now here to be the first to hear about tickets.
Comments on RugbyPass
Speell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
5 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
6 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to comments