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Teenage Hurricanes rookie handed No 10 jersey as Asafo Aumua returns for Crusaders clash

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

Teenage rookie Ruben Love has been handed the unenviable task of starting his first Super Rugby match at first-five against the Crusaders in Wellington on Sunday.

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The talented 19-year-old Hurricanes utility back has been named to start at No 10 as Super Rugby Aotearoa’s bottom-placed side prepares to take on the league leaders and reigning champions at Sky Stadium.

In doing so, he takes the place of Orbyn Leger, who had come into the squad as injury cover for Jackson Garden-Bachop and Simon Hickey, both of whom have been ruled out for the season with injuries.

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Leger, a former Blues and Chiefs five-eighth, started in the Hurricanes’ last three matches against the Chiefs, Highlanders and Blues, but head coach Jason Holland has decided to make a change in the pivot role following last week’s 27-17 loss to the Blues.

Short on options, Holland has opted to thrust Love, who was earlier this week named in the Hurricanes U20 squad to play in this year’s Super Rugby Aoteaora U20 competition, into the hot seat in what could be a baptism of fire for the promising youngster.

Capable of playing at first-five or in the outside backs, Love made his debut off the bench in his side’s 30-19 win over the Highlanders a fortnight ago.

The five minutes of action he picked up in that fixture is the only experience he has at this level, but the youngster is now being asked to steer his side around the park against a formidable Crusaders outfit.

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The Christchurch-based side will be reeling after their shock 33-12 defeat at the hands of the Highlanders last weekend, but Holland isn’t worried about this week’s opposition nor the fact that Love will have to mark star playmaker Richie Mo’unga.

Instead, Holland is banking on Love’s prodigious talent that saw him earmarked as a future star while he was dominating the schoolboy scene while at Palmerston North Boys’ High School.

Holland urged Love to be himself on his starting debut and showcase the talent that has made him one of the youngest contracted Super Rugby players in New Zealand this year.

“I just want him to be Ruben Love. I don’t want him to try and figure out how to be any other No 10. He’s got to do what he does,” Holland told reporters on Friday.

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“I know he’s an absolute student of the game and would have done his homework, so all he needs to do is go out there and make decisions and have a crack at whatever he sees.”

Holland likened Love’s preparation to that of a seasoned Super Rugby veteran as he suggested that could be what makes the former New Zealand age-grade cricketer a potential star of the game.

“The first thing that everybody and all the other players identify is that his prep is like he’s a 15-year pro,” Holland said.

“He does all the right things during the week, but he’s got a bit of energy, he’s got a bit of an excitement factor that he could pull, he’s got pace, he’s got acceleration, step, so all those things are exciting.

“He’s an attacking player and he’ll be an attacking No 10, but he’s also got the smarts to know when to get a bit of depth and when to kick and when to pass.”

While he has been called upon to start at No 10 this weekend, Holland refused to pigeonhole Love into one position or another as his vast talent and versatility makes him a valued asset at both first-five and fullback.

“Because he’s so talented, he can fill into a lot of spots. I still like him as a No 15. I still think he’s a really good No 15 and he spent the last three or four months with us in that dual decision-maker role at No 15, so he’s just going to slot into No 10 and do the same thing.

“I don’t think he’s in any hurry to decide exactly where he needs to be, but he’s a really competent No 10 or No 15 at the moment.”

The selection of Love at No 10 is one of six changes to the starting lineup, with another eye-catching change coming in the midfield as one-test All Blacks centre Peter Umaga-Jensen returns to the run-on XV for the first time in over a month.

Elsewhere, lock Isaia Walker-Leawere and loose forward Devan Flanders are rewarded for their impressive showings off the bench last week by being named to start as they take the places of Scott Scrafton and Du’Plessis Kirifi, respectively.

Kirifi’s absence means captain Ardie Savea will move into openside flanker to allow Flanders to slot in at No 8.

Wes Goosen, meanwhile, returns to the left wing ahead of the in-form Salesi Rayasi, and loosehead prop Xavier Numia comes into the No 1 jersey to replace Fraser Armstrong.

On the bench, one-test All Blacks hooker Asafo Aumua has shaken off a shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined for a month to take his place in the reserves.

The 23-year-old hasn’t been sighted since he left the field cradling his shoulder during the Hurricanes’ round two loss to the Crusaders, but the bulldozing front rower has returned to inject some power off the pine.

He is joined in the reserves by Scrafton, Kirifi, Alex Fidow, Vaea Fifita and Billy Proctor as the new faces on the bench.

Kick-off for Sunday’s clash is scheduled for 3:35pm NZT.

Hurricanes team to play Crusaders

1. Xavier Numia
2. Dane Coles
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. James Blackwell
5. Isaia Walker-Leawere
6. Reed Prinsep
7. Ardie Savea (c)
8. Devan Flanders
9. Luke Campbell
10. Ruben Love
11. Wes Goosen
12. Ngani Laumape
13. Peter Umaga-Jensen
14. Julian Savea
15. Jordie Barrett

Reserves:

16. Asafo Aumua
17. Tevita Mafileo
18. Alex Fidow
19. Scott Scrafton
20. Vaea Fifita
21. Du’Plessis Kirifi
22. Jonathan Taumateine
23. Billy Proctor

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J
Jon 4 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 7 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.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 9 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

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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