Openside flanker Ben Herring has been dropped from the Hurricanes and his replacement, Chris Masoe, will have no specialist backup on the bench for the game against the Brumbies.
The switch is seen as reward for Masoe's impact off the bench but it is a huge call because the Hurricanes
are in "must-win" territory as they gear up for the final frantic three weeks.
Herring has been below his best and was badly exposed when he let Josh Blackie through for a try early in the 26-16 loss to the Highlanders last week.
But his speed and work on the ground had seemed ideal to counter the outstanding George Smith, whose ability to turn over possession is rivalled only by Richie McCaw.
Herring's omission caught Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher by surprise as yesterday he was saying how Herring, in combination with Rodney So'oialo and Jerry Collins, was one of the Hurricanes' strengths.
Later in the day he admitted he was struggling to explain the switch.
"Herring's been playing well. He has been particularly annoying at the breakdown for a lot of teams, so I'm not really sure why he's been dropped.
"Perhaps a bit more size and steel is what they want in there, but Herring is very aggressive when the ball's on the ground and he keeps coming back."
Masoe's elevation from the bench is the only change to the starting XV from the side who lost to the Highlanders last week. There are two changes on the bench with Paul Tito replacing Kristian Ormsby and Thomas Waldrom taking Masoe's place.
It means the Hurricanes will start without a specialist openside, and have no such cover on the bench with Waldrom or So'oialo likely to move there if Masoe is injured.
That's a surprising decision against a team with a player the calibre of Smith, but Cooper has always had faith in Masoe as a No 7.
- NZPA
