When the Crusaders announced their squad for the upcoming season of Super Rugby, it was over 1100 caps short of the squad they fielded during 2019. Their loose forwards have been hit the hardest.
There may have been some shock Super Rugby signings over the past 48 hours, but the Hurricanes haven't joined in on the act.
Japan’s Top League already has an abundance of foreign talent kicking around and the developing rugby nation will have a further influx of international players for the 2020 season. How would a XV of defectors fair?
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree has made just two changes to the starting XV to face the Jaguares in the round 14 Investec Super Rugby match at Westpac Stadium on Friday night.
In the last five seasons, the Crusaders have recruited only six players who were already contracted to other Super Rugby teams. Those players haven’t all been superstars, but they’ve all done their part in their stints with Super Rugby’s most successful team.
It’s difficult to envisage another team denying the Crusaders a second-ever three-peat, not when they have got such an array of quality players, such a breadth of depth in their squad, and largely the same core of players who went back-to-back.
The Hurricanes have lost their most experienced second rower to a long-term injury on the eve of their Super Rugby season-opener against the Waratahs this weekend.
While all the buzz in the Northern Hemisphere surrounds England’s triumph over Ireland in Dublin, the folks in the south are licking their lips with Super Rugby only a week away.
Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree has named a 38-strong squad for Saturday night's Super Rugby preseason match against the defending champion Crusaders.
The Hurricanes have opted for continuity with the selection of the 2019 squad for the Investec Super Rugby competition, announcing just six new faces for next year.