Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

'The fans have been denied': Hurricanes under fire for resting All Blacks

By Kim Ekin
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The Hurricanes’ decision to rest key All Blacks Tyrel Lomax, Ardie Savea and Jordie Barrett for a crunch match with the Chiefs has not gone down well with a pair of ex-All Blacks.

ADVERTISEMENT

The star players were rested for the New Zealand derby which the Hurricanes lost 23-12. The Chiefs were able to register a comfortable victory in the wet conditions against the understrength visitors.

Former All Black wing Jeff Wilson said the Hurricanes missed a trick as the conditions would have suited them had they been at full-strength.

Had they been able to secure a win they would have put themselves in contention to finish as the number one seed.

“Think about the game and they way it was played, the conditions were so poor,” Wilson told Sky Sport’s The Breakdown.

“To have Tyrel Lomax playing, all of a sudden your scrum and lineout clearly operates better.

“Then you bring in Ardie Savea, his ability in close in the contact parts of the game. Defensively, he’d have more effect there.

ADVERTISEMENT

“And you needed a big kicking game [with Jordie Barrett]. So they’ve missed their opportunity.

“If you are a Hurricanes’ fan, you’ve been potentially denied the opportunity to host not just a quarter-final but a semi-final particularly after the Brumbies lose.

“If they went on to beat the Blues and Crusaders over the next two weeks they’ve could’ve finished first and the fans have been denied that by not playing their best side.”

Ex-All Black great John Kirwan posed the bigger picture question as to whether this should be occurring in Super Rugby Pacific.

He believed that the All Blacks coaches do not want the best players missing the biggest games, particularly the Kiwi derbies.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s irrelevant because the question we need to answer is, should this happen or not,” Kirwan asked.

“I get why a coach would do it, probably overthinking stuff. I get that the players need breaks.

“But I’m pretty sure the All Blacks don’t want them to break during a derby, the best games of the year.

“That’s where you want to see your players under pressure.”

Related

The Hurricanes decided to rest their big names for a crucial New Zealand derby but played them against Moana Pasifika.

Although they were upset last season by the new franchise, they beat Moana 59-0 earlier this season and then 71-22 in the rematch.

Wilson said that they could have managed the rest weeks differently to ensure that the top All Blacks were available to play the toughest matches on the schedule.

“They chose to play them against Moana Pasifika, they could have managed this differently so that they were available,” Wilson said.

“They could have had them available in the biggest games.

“I think they could have won this game, the conditions closed the gap between these two teams, and with those assets I talked about, they could’ve won by thinking differently about where they might sit in three weeks’ time.”

 

 

 

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

T
Trevor 25 minutes 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
B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search