Rugby: The Hurricanes' weak spot

NZ Herald

22 Jun, 2015 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Victor Vito of the Hurricanes wins the ball during the round 15 Super Rugby match between the Blues and the Highlanders. Photo / Getty Images

The Super Rugby semifinals shape as two entertaining contests with the prospect of an all-New Zealand final still alive.

The table-topping Hurricanes will host the Brumbies in Wellington this weekend, and the Highlanders go to Sydney to tackle the Waratahs.

The Hurricanes and Brumbies didn't cross paths in the regular season, so both sets of coaches will be scouring the tapes this week to look for an edge.

From a statistical viewpoint, the Hurricanes are dangerous given their prowess on attack. They lead Super Rugby in carries, metres, clean breaks and defenders beaten per game.

One area that will be crucial this week is the lineout. The Hurricanes have struggled during the last few games and they lose the most lineouts (2.8) per game in the competition and operate at only 80 per cent efficiency, lowest-equal alongside the Melbourne Rebels.

The Brumbies' win 91 per cent of their lineout ball - the best in the competition alongside the Reds - and lose the fewest lineouts per game (1.2).

Hurricanes loose forward Victor Vito, one of his side's key lineout jumpers, said they had no need for panic around their lineout.

"I think, if anything, it was just little individual roles that some guys just clocked off on at the time," he said of their recent lineout struggles. "So we are not going to be tweaking it too much but just making sure we get a lot of clarity in those roles before we roll in."

The Waratahs have produced an impressive run in their title defence - they were one of only two teams to beat the Hurricanes during the regular season.

They have big men across the park who love to get their hands on the ball and, like the Hurricanes, they rank high in carries, metres, clean breaks and defenders beaten.

But the Highlanders' attack has flourished in recent weeks with try-scoring wings Waisake Naholo and Patrick Osborne tearing up the flanks.

They average the third-most tries per game (3.5) and win the most scrums per match (7.9) in the competition. The Waratahs win only 85 per cent of their scrums, the fifth-lowest figure in Super Rugby.