Hurricanes embracing ‘the little things’ in high-scoring start to Super Rugby Pacific season

The Hurricanes sit second on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder after six rounds. Photo / Getty Images

Jason Holland likes what he sees in his Hurricanes team this year.

Through five rounds of the Super Rugby Pacific season, the Hurricanes have been the surprise, as they sit second on the ladder with a 5-1 record.

The Hurricanes have been the most free-scoring side in the competition by far, too. With 243 points scored, they are the only team to have hit the 200 mark, while they have conceded the third-fewest points (130) behind the Chiefs (98) and Crusaders (128).

It’s the result of a lot of things going right behind the scenes, and Holland said the group have been in a good place all campaign.

“I’m happy because I’m seeing growth in our game and I’m seeing the boys happy to turn up to work, loving their work and working hard,” Holland said. “Where you are on the table is the outcome of all the little things that have been happening.

“We’re not getting too carried away with ourselves. We understand it’s early. We’ve got a pretty tough run at the end of the comp before we go to playoffs, hopefully, but I’m happy with how we’re going. You judge yourself on your performance every day, and I think the boys are doing that really well. They’re preparing well, coming in, having some good fun and the outcomes are coming.”

The Hurricanes have made the most of a friendly draw through the opening part of the season. Their wins have come against four Australian teams and winless Moana Pasifika, while their lone loss was a close battle against the Blues.

Over the next fortnight, they will continue to learn what they are capable of, with a clash against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday before hosting the competition-leading Chiefs – who will be fresh off a bye – next week.

They will be without Brett Cameron for at least that stretch, with the first-choice No. 10 having sustained what Holland deemed to be a serious knee injury. It’s the second time this season Cameron has missed time due to a leg injury, with a calf issue keeping him out earlier in the year.

“We’re still waiting on some scan results. It’s a serious injury; it’s not something he’s going to be able to rehab in two or three weeks. We’ll see what happens with the scan and when things come back. We’ll get more of a feeling when they can really assess it, when he’s a bit less sore. [I] haven’t got anything other than the fact I can tell you he won’t be back in the next three or four weeks.”

Cameron has been strong in his Super Rugby return after some time in Japan, but his absence opens the door for Aidan Morgan to pull on the No. 10 jersey again, with Morgan making his return from a concussion-enforced layoff.

“He did a good job for us early on when BC was coming back from his calf. He’s been sitting in the background watching, learning, understanding, and he’ll run our game well,” Holland said.

“He’s been with us for a while and slotted in really nicely. He sees the game pretty well and loves to have a crack with the ball - he’s good at seeing space and identifying that. He just needs to do his role in this game [at] the weekend.

“He doesn’t have to force anything or try to do anything magic. He understands that really well now and is getting better week to week.”

Hurricanes: Josh Moorby, Julian Savea, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett, Salesi Rayasi, Aidan Morgan, Cam Roigard, Ardie Savea (c), Du’Plessis Kirifi, Brayden Iose, Isaia Walker-Leawere, James Blackwell, Tyrel Lomax, Dane Coles, Xavier Numia.

Reserves: Asafo Aumua, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Owen Franks, TK Howden, Peter Lakai, Jamie Booth, Harry Godfrey, Peter Umaga-Jensen.

Highlanders: Sam Gilbert, Mosese Dawai, Fetuli Paea, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Jonah Lowe, Mitch Hunt, Folau Fakatava, Hugh Renton, Billy Harmon (c), Shannon Frizell, Josh Dickson, Pari Pari Parkinson, Jermaine Ainsley, Andrew Makalio, Ethan de Groot.

Reserves: Leni Apisai, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Saula Ma’u, Max Hicks, Sean Withy, James Arscott, Scott Gregory, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u.