Rugby: Hurricanes will need to improve with conference on the line against Crusaders

Hurricanes captain TJ Perenara during the Hurricanes vs Reds Super Rugby match at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Friday. Photo / Photosport.nz

If the Hurricanes are going to have a shot at securing the New Zealand conference, they're going to have to improve drastically when they meet the Crusaders next week.

Scraping through with a 38-34 win over the Reds might have made good viewing for spectators, but Hurricanes captain TJ Perenara knows the side are capable of more.

They'll need to show it next week in what might just be the battle to decide the conference.

"It's always good playing against the Crusaders," Perenara said. "All Super Rugby games are good, but the ones you play against NZ teams, you know, you play those guys a lot and we know a lot about each other. It's down at their home ground this time so we know it's a tough job ahead of us next week."

The Hurricanes were close to full strength against the Reds, missing Ngani Laumape in the midfield, yet weren't able to shut the door on their Queensland counterparts. Every time it looked like they were set up to go on with the job, the let the Reds right back in.

"We're a little bit disappointed to be honest," Perenara said. "We knew we weren't accurate in the passage of the game we wanted to be accurate in. But credit to the Reds, they put us under pressure, but our skills under pressure. They brought a game plan that obviously put us to the sword a little bit there."

It didn't cost them this time out, but against an in-form Crusaders side the probably won't be so lucky.

The last time the sides met, the Hurricanes took a comfortable 29-19 win on home soil. However, they'll travel to meet a Crusaders side on their own winning streak, who have welcomed back incumbent first five-eighth Richie Mo'unga.

The two sides have been jostling for position at the top of the conference throughout the season. With both teams holding a double-digit buffer on the third-placed Highlanders, next week's match will surely decide to conference.