Super Rugby Pacific: Young stars shine as Hurricanes finally start season on right track

Aidan Morgan made the most of his opportunity against the Reds. Photo / Getty Images

The Hurricanes have finally kicked a season off on the right note.

With a 47-13 win over the Reds in Townsville on Saturday night, the Hurricanes claimed the win in their first competition game of the season for the first time since 2019.

Consistent in their slow starts over the years, there were no signs of that in Townsville as, despite the near-30C heat, they ran rampant over the Reds with a massive second half.

While the bonus-point win was a welcome start to the season, head coach Jason Holland was also pleased with what he saw from his youthful contingent as the Hurricanes shape up as a team going through a changing of the guard.

First-five Aidan Morgan (21) and halfback Cam Roigard (22) thrived in their respective opportunities in the starting squad, shaking off some early worries to make their marks on the game.

“We talked a little bit about our game management at halftime. We felt we needed to play in the right parts of the field and make sure we were really patient and make the Reds defend for multiple phases. We might have overplayed a couple of times too many in the first half, but really got it right in the second half. They’re two good young fellas,” Holland said of the pair.

“There’s good competition in our squad … it’s good to see those guys get some time and set them up for the next few weeks.”

There had been plenty of interest in the week leading into the game around another of the side’s inexperienced talents, with Peter Lakai (19) making his Super Rugby debut wearing the No 7 jersey after carrying impressive NPC form with him into the pre-season.

It was an unusual spot for Lakai to find himself in. Townsville is not a usual Super Rugby Pacific host, with high temperature and humidity adding to the variables of the game.

“He had to get through a lot of graft, really,” Holland said of Lakai. “A lot of tough work as a seven, a lot of cleanout, a bit of carry. You throw him into his first Super game, it’s 30-odd degrees and he’s trying to get around as a seven, it makes it a bit tough. But I didn’t expect him to be short in any space and he wasn’t, so he’ll be better for the run. He’s a pretty talented young fella.”

The Hurricanes will be buoyed by those performances with more experienced players like Brett Cameron, TJ Perenara and Reed Prinsep among those unavailable for selection in week one.

Putting 47 points on the board, the Hurricanes will back themselves to sweep their opening away trip of the season going into a clash with the Melbourne Rebels on Friday as part of next week’s ‘Super Round’ in which all matches are being played at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

They will then return home to host the Blues at Sky Stadium on March 11.

“We haven’t won our first game for a few years. I felt like we deserved that,” Holland said. “The boys have put in massive shifts and I suppose every team feels like they deserve it, but the work our squad and management have put in for the last couple of months, it’s awesome to get a bonus point win and set us up really.”