Rugby: Hammett puts gossip behind him

Mark Hammett. Photo / Getty Images

After a week fending off rumours about his relationship with his players, Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett was only too happy to focus on the rugby as they look for their fifth win of the Super 15 rugby season against the Lions in Wellington tonight.

It was claimed earlier in the week that Hammett and captain Andrew Hore had a dysfunctional relationship, had come to blows and there was a rift in the Hurricanes' camp.

The pair spent the early part of the week laughing off the whispers and innuendos and Hammett was understandably happy to switch his attention to rugby yesterday.

But the injury woes that have disrupted their season show no sign of abating. Centre Conrad Smith, only just back from a spell on the sidelines with a badly broken nose, is in doubt for the match with a badly twisted ankle received in the 34-28 defeat of the Western Force in Palmerston North last Friday.

Smith left training with his left foot in a moon boot and he rated himself a 50-50 proposition for the game at Westpac Stadium. If he fails to take his place then Jayden Hayward will step into the breach.

At least the news is better for halfback Piri Weepu, who is set to make his first Hurricanes start of the season - after two games off the bench - as he continues his comeback from a broken leg suffered last October.

Hammett is confident enough in Weepu's fitness to usher him back into the starting lineup after a safety-first approach to his reintroduction.

"He's leading the guys around well and physically he's looking better so it's great for him," he said.

The former All Black hooker was wary of the physical test posed by the Lions, especially after they toppled the Highlanders at Carisbrook last Saturday night, and pointed out the teams that had done well against them had avoided an arm-wrestle.

But he also warned that the John Mitchell-coached side were not afraid to use width and their diminutive first five-eighths Elton Jantjies was a special young player.

"He's not a big man, but he's brave and he makes his tackles."

The Hurricanes' own defence has been called into question this year, but Hammett was confident in the team's patterns, pointing out they had an 89 per cent tackle success rate against the Force, but he was anxious to remove personal errors.

Said Hammett: "We had a couple of individual lapses on the weekend so that's one of the areas we're looking at improving."

- NZPA