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World Cup winner’s verdict on whether Ruben Love is ready for All Blacks
Rugby World Cup winner Cory Jane believes Hurricanes fullback Ruben Love is in the mix to debut for the All Blacks later this year after a strong start to the Super Rugby Pacific season.
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Love, 22, has already played for both the Maori All Blacks and All Blacks XV but now appears destined for more honours after a phenomenal run of form with the table-topping Hurricanes.
Playing out the back in the No. 15 jersey, the playmaker has been solid under the high ball, quite smart around the field of play, and is ranked in the top 10 for clean breaks in the competition.
With Will Jordan set to miss the entirety of the Crusaders’ season, there has been plenty of chatter about Love’s credentials as an All Blacks candidate. But with each performance, the calls for Love to enter the Test arena seem to be getting louder and louder.
England are set to tour New Zealand in July, and while Beauden Barrett is the incumbent at fullback, Hurricanes assistant coach Cory Jane couldn’t fault how “awesome” Love has been this season.
“I hope so,” Jane said on Weekend Sport with Jason Pine on Sunday when asked if Ruben Love will be an All Black this year.
“I help out with Tyler (Bleyendaal) with the backs… I think Kini (Naholo), Josh Moorby, Billy Proctor… if I had my time picking the All Blacks.
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“I think Rubes is up there as well. He’s playing some fantastic rugby.
“The coolest thing about him is everything we talked about and trained in pre-season, he’s doing it in games. It’s just not like, ‘How am I going to get better?’ Some players will ask for feedback and you give it to them and then keep on doing the same things.
“He’s trying to get better by listening to feedback but actually going out there and actually training it and putting it out there on the field.
“He’s been awesome this year.”
Love has played an integral role in the Hurricanes’ flawless start to the season, with the men from New Zealand’s capital occupying pole position on the ladder with a perfect 6-0 record.
The Hurricanes’ only real blip was in the second round against the Queensland Reds, with that match going to extra time at Melbourne’s AAMI Park during Super Round.
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But big wins over the Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Highlanders, and hard-fought victories over the Blues and Crusaders, have seen the Canes emerge as competition favourites.
Just last week, coach Clark Laidlaw made 12 changes to the starting 15 only for the Hurricanes to go on and dominate New Zealand rivals the Highlanders 47-12 away from home in Dunedin.
“Most of the guys that played last night had played games before,” Jane explained when asked about the squad rotation.
Match Summary 
0
Penalty Goals
0
2
Tries
7
1
Conversions
6
0
Drop Goals
0
128
Carries
136
6
Line Breaks
11
19
Turnovers Lost
19
7
Turnovers Won
5
“Then you saw guys step in in that Rebels game and take the opportunities. It put pressure on the squad that you’ve got to train well but you’ve also got to put it out on the weekend. It was good to see the guys do that last night.
“It’s early days… there’s going to be a bit of challenging times with us playing games and we might lose a few and guys play bad or average. You’ve just got to rely on the squad to keep turning up and getting better.
“It’s pleasing so far.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope they didn’t pay Jones fee?
2 Go to commentsTo be fair, the teams he's had to put out are reminiscent of those available to Gatland during his horrible run at the Chiefs in late 2020. Anyway, he's only got a two year contract and Wellingtonian Tamati Ellison will be ready by then, as will a lot of talented youngsters (like the Chiefs Gatland blooded). The Crusaders are planning for the long term.
5 Go to commentsGreat to see more community spending leading to higher participation in the community. It's a long road but that's a good first step.
2 Go to commentsPoetic justice for trying to sell him to Australia as another kiwi saviour coach, not ! Deans was just as bad actually but McCaw and Carter covered up for him. That’s why they didn’t want him as All Black coach, even after Graeme Henry’s bumbling effort in 2007.
5 Go to commentsSACK HIM !
5 Go to commentsSafas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
97 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
97 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
97 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
97 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
97 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
97 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
97 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
97 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
97 Go to comments