Stephen Donald pinpoints key to Hurricanes' backline success

Former All Black World Cup-winning first-five Stephen Donald has dissected why the Hurricanes backline is firing on all cylinders after nine rounds of Super Rugby Pacific.

Newcastle-bound Fehi Fineanganofo leads the Super Rugby Pacific try-scoring table after nine rounds, while the Hurricanes have scored the most tries in the competition with 47.

Donald, who believes that the Hurricanes will finish the regular season in first place, explained on his podcast with Kirstie Stanway, The Aftermatch, why Laidlaw’s backline is so clinical.

“Their pace of game is wonderful. Their carriers, their clean out ,was great and they’ve got a very dynamic loose-forward group,” Donald said on The Aftermatch.

“But even more so, you’re starting to see the influence of the skill level from the backs, the fact that Ruben love and Jordie Barrett in particular, get the ball to the edges with extreme pace.

“They don’t have to go through the pods, they don’t have to go out the back and then get the ball to the edges. They just see a winger who’s in a bit of space, in a bit of daylight. They throw a big cut out ball, they get it to him, and all of a sudden they’re getting 10 meters.”

The current Sky Sport commentator and analyst adds that the Hurricanes’ game plan puts pressure on the defence in  different ways to many other teams.

“It means the defence is backpedalling and they’re playing at a pace of game that the defence is always going back to. So there’s just little things like that, that the ability to quickly shift and we’ve talked about the power that they have up front as well.

“Like for a long time, they’ve always had the rockstars in the back line, but they haven’t always had the forward pack. They now take off one All Black, and put another one on and they’ve still got Lomax sitting out at the moment, so it’s an incredible squad that they’ve managed to put together for this year.

“Look, I don’t know how many of them are staying around. But right now, they talk about windows of opportunity, and they are sitting in one right now to go win a title.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

2

Draws

0

Wins

3

Average Points scored

22

24

First try wins

80%

Home team wins

60%

“Yeah, I mean, it was always going to be a big battle, the two ten’s with McKenzie who are going to be wearing that All Black jersey. I just thought it was a really good step in Ruben Love’s game coming up against someone as iconic and established as Beauden and to be at the front of it and put in a good performance.

“Well, it’s top of the table, you want to see that, it means something, so no, it was brilliant stuff.

“I particularly enjoyed that the Blues had obviously decided that they needed to go after Ruben and there was a bit of push and shove and verbals and what have you.

“So I mean, and that’s going to come when you’re seen as somebody, pretty important to the operation and maybe someone who’s just a little bit younger and still establishing himself, then teams are going to look for chinks in this armour.

“And look there’s some niggly characters in that outfit that they’re going to Hamilton. So I’d say it’ll be spicy again, which is great. It’s what people sit down on their couch and want to see on Saturday night.”