Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

‘Not necessarily a bad thing’: Canes flyhalf responds to ‘underdogs’ claim

By Finn Morton
(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, former All Blacks backrower Steven Bates pinned the “underdogs” tag on the Hurricanes ahead of their top-of-the table clash with the undefeated Chiefs on Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Hurricanes have only lost one match this season, and it was a thriller against the Blues at Sky Stadium in round three.

But that one defeat is a minor blip on what has been an otherwise sensational start to this year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign from the Canes.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

Coach Jason Holland has named a star-studded side ahead of their crunch clash with the Chiefs in Wellington, which includes an exciting halves pairing of Cam Roigard and Aidan Morgan.

Morgan was handed the playmaking reins last weekend after one-Test All Black Brett Cameron sustained an injury during the round six win over the Western Force in Palmerston North.

At just 21 years of age, Morgan is just a couple of days away from arguably the biggest match of his young career so far.

When asked about Steven Bates’ view on the Hurricanes’ status going into this highly anticipated clash, Morgan said “flying under the radar is not necessarily a bad thing.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“The Chiefs are the in-form side at the momenta and their line-up is stacked with lots of talent,” Morgan told RugbyPass.

“We’re really driving what we can control in our systems, making sure we’re executing our plays, nailing our roles defensively and offensively, and make sure we’re playing in the right end of the park.

“I can’t speak for the whole team but for me personally, I think flying under the radar is not necessarily a bad thing.

“But by no stretch can we think of ourselves as a lesser team.

“I think (with) the players we’ve got, (we have) the talent and the skills we need to be able to put a good performance and get a good win.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related

“We certainly believe in the quality of this group and the quality that we have, that we can go all the way in this competition and that’s what we try to do each week that we get out there.”

Morgan has started a number of matches in the Hurricanes’ No. 10 jersey before, but will bring up an exciting milestone against the Chiefs.

Last weekend’s thriller against the Highlanders was the first-fives first start against New Zealand opposition at Super Rugby Pacific level.

But this weekend, Morgan will look to lead the Hurricanes’ attack against Kiwi opposition at home for the first time – and it doesn’t much tougher than the Chiefs at the moment.

“I had a lot of runs at the end of last season against the Australian sides,” he added.

“That was my first New Zealand derby match that I started in last week so another milestone ticked off (this week)

“But for me, it’s just whatever opposition or whatever game, it’s (about) turning up and making sure that I get this team firing and I put out a performance that I’m proud of.”

Morgan has plenty of attacking weapons outside him, including the likes of Jordie Barrett and in-form winger Salesi Rayasi.

For a young playmaker, it makes his “philosophy” quite simple: get them the ball.

“It makes my job a lot easier and sort of my philosophy on how I try to get this attack going is to get the ball into the right people’s hands at the right time.

“Having those attacking weapons outside (me), the likes of Jordie (Barrett) and Sass (Salesi Rayasi), and even Billy Proctor, Peter Umaga-Jensen, those sort of players that have game breaking ability.

“Making sure that the ball is in their hands at the right time and giving them the best opportunities to use their talents, so that’s what I try to do in terms of driving this attack, especially in phase play.”

The Hurricanes’ top-of-the-table clash against the undefeated Chiefs is set to kick-off at 2.35pm at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

37 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

37 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit
Search