HBF PARK, PERTH, FRIDAY 23rd FEBRUARY.
Force
Such is the regard the Force have for Simon Cron, the club this week extended his current contract through to the end of 2026. But the franchise will also want progress this year, particularly given the arrival of some key Wallabies and some front-row depth from across the Tasman. With Tom Robertson having opted for a sabbatical to complete his medical degree at Oxford University, the Force have brought in former All Blacks prop Atu Moli and the Reds’ Harry Hoopert, while former Crusaders hooker Ben Funnell completes the front-row acquisitions. Meanwhile in the halves, Nic White and Ben Donaldson join from the Brumbies and Waratahs respectively, with the playmaker’s arrival creating an intriguing battle for the No. 10 jersey alongside Pasitoa and Max Burey, who enjoyed several fine games late in 2023. Elsewhere, Sam Spink’s retention is a huge coup, with many expecting the Englishman to have returned home, while Harry Potter brings his title-winning experience from Leicester back to Australia as he looks to crack the Wallabies. If there is one concern that continues to dog the Force, it is that they are still without a player who offers genuine x-factor; they will not blow teams off the paddock like the Chiefs or Blues can, or even the Brumbies when they are truly galloping; the Force instead seem to have to grind teams down and that becomes challenging week after week.
2023 HISTORY
It was another disappointing year for the Force, who missed out on finals football after they were hammered in the final two games of the regular season. But it was always going to be difficult for new coach Simon Cron to instigate too much change in year one, particularly after the loss of prop Tom Robertson and rising playmaker Reesjan Pasitoa to knee injuries. They did however benefit from the upheaval in the English Premiership, with Zach Kibirige, Gareth Simpson and Sam Spink all adding depth to the backline. Spink, in particular, gave the Force a genuine line-bending option in midfield and such was the Englishman’s impact that he ended up taking out the Nathan Sharpe Medal as the team’s best player for 2023. There was minor improvement in the Force’s attack – they still finished the year with the fewest tries of any team – and they remained feeble defensively, conceding in excess of 40 points on six occasions. The Force’s scrum was also consistently put under pressure, but their lineout was the competition’s best, even without the experienced Izack Rodda, who remained sidelined for all but the final two games of the season with a foot injury, which he then reinjured in camp with the Wallabies ahead of the Rugby Championship.
Force: Max Burey, Harry Potter, Sam Spink, Hamish Stewart, Chase Tiatia, Ben Donaldson, Nic White (co-capt), Will Harris, Carlo Tizzano, Michael Wells (co-capt), Izack Rodda, Thomas Franklin, Santiago Medrano, Tom Horton, Marley Pearce. Reserves: Ben Funnell, Charlie Hancock, Tiaan Taukipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Tim Anstee, Ollie Callan, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, George Poolman.
HURRICANES
Savea leaves an insurmountable hole in the Hurricanes squad, while brother Julian’s move to Moana Pasifika means the famous name won’t be in the yellow and black strip for the first time in over a decade. 2024 will however see the return of former club stalwart in Brad Shields, who departed Wellington for Wasps a few years back and eventually found himself in Eddie Jones’ England squad. Shields was a big part of the Hurricanes’ success under former coach Chris Boyd, and brings a wealth of experience to offset some of that lost in the Savea departures. New coach Clark Laidlaw, who arrives in Wellington after a long stint with the New Zealand sevens program, will also have to deal without club favourite Dane Coles, though that affords Asafo Aumua an opportunity to really deliver on his immense talent. Perenara is also finally fit and ready to push Roigard in what looms as a huge 1-2 punch at scrum-half. The Hurricanes appear to have plenty of points in them with strike weapons both up front and out wide, but their season is likely again to depend on how they perform against the competition’s big guns. The Canes will back themselves against Australian opposition, but it’s against the Chiefs, Blues and Crusaders that will determine whether they are a top four, or even a top two, team in 2024.
2023 HISTORY
The Hurricanes went within a whisker of a semi final berth after Ardie Savea was deemed to have been held up in a dramatic finale against the Brumbies in Canberra. Savea was adamant he had scored and was near lost for words in an emotional interview post game, as the reality of his departure to Japan in 2024 began to hit home. Savea had again been peerless up front for the Hurricanes, the skipper performing with the kind of power, physicality and ferocity that saw him later declared the best player on the planet for 2023. Elsewhere, Cam Roigard made the No. 9 jersey his own in the absence of TJ Perenara, while Kini Naholo emerged from brother Waisake’s lofty shadow on the wing and young back-rowers Devan Flanders, Peter Lakai and Brayden Iose also all impressed. Jordie Barrett, meanwhile, established himself as the premier No. 12 in New Zealand. The Hurricanes’ stat sheet as a whole made for excellent reading, with positive numbers in attack, at set-piece and their discipline, the team playing an attractive brand of rugby under Jason Holland. But they struggled against the quality of their fellow Kiwi heavyweights, finishing with just one win against the Crusaders and two losses apiece to both the Chiefs and Blues.
Hurricanes: Ruben Love, Josh Moorby, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett (co-capt), Kini Naholo, Brett Cameron, Jordi Viljoen, Peter Lakai, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Devan Flanders, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Caleb Delany, Pasilio Tosi, Asafo Aumua (co-capt), Xavier Numea. Reserves: James O’Reilly, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Tyrel Lomax, Justin Sangster, Brayden Iose, Cam Roigard, Riley Higgins, Salesi Rayasi.
Force (1-15): Marley Pearce, Tom Horton, Santiago Medrano, Thomas Franklin, Izack Rodda, Michael Wells (co-c), Carlo Tizzano, Will Harris, Nic White (co-c), Ben Donaldson, Chase Tiatia, Hamish Stewart, Sam Spink, Harry Potter, Max Burey
Replacements: Ben Funnell, Charlie Hancock, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Tim Anstee, Ollie Callan, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, George Poolman
Hurricanes (1-15): Xavier Numea, Asafo Aumua, Pasilio Tosi, Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Devan Flanders, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai, Jordi Viljoen, Brett Cameron, Kini Naholo, Jordie Barrett, Billy Proctor, Josh Moorby, Ruben Love
Replacements: James O’Reilly, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Tyrel Lomax, Justin Sangster, Brayden Iose, Cam Roigard, Riley Higgins, Salesi Rayasi
Referee: Damon Murphy
Assistant Referees: Graham Cooper, Jordan Kaminski
Game three I will go for the Kiwi side. Their discipline lets them down at times and the Force have recruited well, but the team from Wellington should get home. But beware, the trip from NZ to Perth is a long flight, plus the heat in Perth is very much different to cold Wellington. I still think the Canes can get home ,but not by much. The opposite halfbacks should have a good conversation here with Nick White and T J Perenara, both liking a chat. I notice the coach has given Perenara a bit more time to recover from injury, and instead named a youngster in Devon Flanders with Roigard coming off the bench.
Keep an eye out for Game four preview, Blues v Fijian Drua.
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