Hurricanes - The season so far
Mirroring @SouthernMann's post on the Highlanders page we are a third of the way through the season, below are what's been good and bad so far this season.
The good:
Coach Laidlaw
Clark Laidlaw has vastly improved the environment coming in as head coach. He seems to be a likeable character and the players seem to be willing to go that extra mile for him on and off the field. He has no black mark against his resume yet so hopefully he can continue that post the bye. A vast improvement on Jason Holland.
Tight five
It's been a while since our tight-five have done the business. The Canes front five have rarely been beaten this year and are providing a strong platform for the backs to do their thing. We seem to also have plenty of depth, my only worry is if Aumua goes down and we are left to play O'Reilly every week.
The loose forwards
We've got arguably the most quality in terms of depth in this area out of any other team in the comp. When Devan Flanders can't even make the 23, it's a pretty good reflection of how things are going. Everyone is putting their hand up when given an opportunity which means players are putting out their best every single game.
Ruben Love
What a return he's made since his injury last year. A big off-season is paying huge dividends for Ruben Love with the form fullback quickly becoming a cornerstone of this side. Apparently, he's back over in Sydney during the bye week training with Roger Fabri which shows his huge endeavor to get better and better.
NZCIS facility
How much of a difference has the NZCIS training facility enhanced the performance of the Hurricanes? They look to be super fit this year compared to any other year previously, or is it Laidlaw's influence coming straight from the Sevens? Either way I don't think it's a coincidence that both the Canes and Phoenix are sitting top of the log in their respective competitions.
The Bad:
Cam Roigard's injury
Things were going along almost too perfectly for the Canes leading into the Highlanders that something had to give. Who knew our best player would end up on the canvas with what looks like a season ending injury. We haven't yet heard the outcome of his scan in Auckland but it's highly likely he'll be out for the remainder of the campaign. Next man up, TJ Perenara.
Depth at hooker and first five
The biggest concern I have with the Canes moving forward is if Aumua goes down. O'Reilly is a big drop from Aumua and it would be a huge hit if we had to play the rest of our matches with O'Reilly at rake. Same goes with Cameron, Morgan needs to show more at Super Rugby against the better teams, however, because he's not getting many minutes means it's hard for him to prove that he's improved so to speak. Hopefully the Canes have already had their one big injury for the year and can keep their squad relatively fit through to the end of the season.