Hurricanes
Hurricanes (10) 35 / 21 (14) Reds (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The Hurricanes and the Reds will have the Anzac legacy at the forefront of their minds when they take the field this weekend.
Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith will lead his team out wearing a limited edition, poppy-embroidered jersey, which will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Returned Services Association.
Smith said playing the match on Anzac weekend was a huge honour and he was proud to represent the Hurricanes club on such an important day.
Hurricanes (13) 39 / 20 (17) Blues (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Blues did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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South-African born prop Reggie Goodes will make his first start of the season for the Hurricanes against the Blues in Wellington on Friday.
The introduction of the 22-year-old loosehead prop is the only change that Hurricanes head coach Mark Hammett has made to his side for the arrival of the Auckland-based side, and it is injury-inforced.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett will step down from the Super Rugby side when his contract expires at the end of the season.
His decision to fall on his sword comes after four years in charge.
It was a disappointing weekend for South Africa’s Vodacom Super Rugby franchises, with the best result among the four teams that took to the field being a 43-43 draw by the Toyota Cheetahs.
The Vodacom Bulls faced the Hurricanes in Napier on Saturday in their first tour game with the hope of becoming the first domestic franchise to win in the Antipodes this season, but penalties conceded at crucial times allowed the hosts to come away with a 25-20 victory.
The Toyota Cheetahs, meanwhile, built up an encouraging 34-10 half-time lead against New Zealand conference leaders and defending champions, the Chiefs, in Bloemfontein, but they allowed the visitors to fight back strongly after the break and had to settle for a 43-43 draw.
At Ellis Park, the Lions produced a competitive first-half performance against the Crusaders to trail only 6-0 after 40 minutes, but the home side battled to shut out the seven time Vodacom Super Rugby champions in the second half, and went down 28-7.
In the last match of the weekend, the DHL Stormers’ woes continued in their first home game after their Australasian tour, as they suffered their fifth back-to-back defeat after going down 22-11 against the Waratahs in a physical encounter at DHL Newlands.
Hurricanes (16) 25 / 20 (13) Bulls (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at
McLean Park, Napier at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Victor Vito and Brad Shields will pull on the Hurricanes jersey for the first time this season, as their team gears up to face the Bulls at Napier’s McLean Park on Saturday.
Both loose forwards have been out since the beginning of the season with knee injuries, and this weekend’s match will be their first of the 2014 Super Rugby season.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke included fit-again lock and regular captain, Flip van der Merwe, for his side’s Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes in Napier on Saturday.
The 67 cap lock takes over the captaincy and number five jersey from Victor Matfield in one of two changes to the starting pack that played against the Chiefs. In the other, Jacques Engelbrecht comes in at number 8, with Dewald Potgieter moving to the side of the scrum in place of Jacques du Plessis, who moves to the bench.
The Cell C Sharks continued to stamp their authority in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition this weekend as they secured their fifth victory of the season, while the Vodacom Bulls allowed a fourth successive victory to slip through their fingers and the DHL Stormers stumbled in their final tour match.
A strong second-half showing by the Cell C Sharks combined with a flawless kicking performance by flyhalf Fred Zeilinga, who punished the Waratahs indiscipline, earned the team a 32-10 victory at Growthpoint Kings Park.
The victory allowed the team to remain in pole position on the combined log table.
The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, had their fourth consecutive victory in their sights until the last minute of their clash against defending champions, the Chiefs, at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, but a last-minute try by Chiefs captain Aaron Cruden and successful conversion by Gareth Anscombe forced them to settle for a disappointing 34-34 draw.
The team departs for their Australasian tour knowing that their defence, in particular, needs attention after allowing a 31-15 lead to slip against the Chiefs.
In Brisbane, the DHL Stormers were unsuccessful in their mission to complete their Australasian tour with a victory against the Reds as they went down 22-17 following defeats against the Crusaders, Chiefs and Brumbies.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett has received a boost with the news that three players will return from injury in time to face the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom Super Rugby match in Napier on Saturday.
With the Bulls flying out only on Tuesday, as has worked for them in the past, the Canes will be looking to exploit the short turnaround and with the boost to their squad, manage to build on their 29-26 win over the Crusaders this past weekend.
Crusaders (18) 26 / 29 (17) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
AM Park, Christchurch at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The Hurricanes have named midfielder Tim Bateman in their Super Rugby team to play the Crusaders in Christchurch at the AMI Stadium on Friday.
Bateman makes his return to the starting team to partner Conrad Smith after being side-lined with a knee injury for six weeks.
Highlanders (9) 35 / 31 (9) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Highlanders and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Wellington Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett was delighted to be talking about rugby rather than his own precarious position after his team broke an eight-match Super Rugby losing streak with a victory over South Africa’s Cheetahs.
Three straight defeats to start the season, including a 29-21 home loss to the ACT Brumbies last weekend, had led to calls in the New Zealand media for Hammett’s head to roll.
Hurricanes (29) 60 / 27 (20) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 05:35 SA Time (16:35 NZ Time, 03:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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I find this rare. It is usually the Bulls supporters looking for suitable Jacaranda trees to hang the coaches. The Stormers have their way to show displeasure in their team. But for New Zealand coaches to be under early pressure is something rare.
Australian teams played 13 game and won 8 off them , New Zealand team played 13 won 5 and South African teams played 18 games thus far winning 9 off them. This number could have been worse for New Zealand if the Stormers were able to defend their small margin.
Hurricanes (13) 21 / 29 (15) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT, 17:35 AEDT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The Hurricanes have made two changes to the team that lost to the Stormers for this week’s match against the Brumbies in Wellington.
Stormers (6) 19 / 18 (12) Hurricanes (Final Score)
DHL Stormers and the Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
Newlands, Cape Town at Fiday 28 Feb 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, 06:10 Saturday 1 March NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Hurricanes prop Ben Franks will earn his 100th Super Rugby cap against the Stormers at Newland on Friday.
The Hurricanes face the Cape Town-based outfit in the second match of their South African tour.
All Black and Hurricanes centre Conrad Smith admitted he was surprised by the Stormers’ showing against the Lions in Johannesburg last week.
The Hurricanes admitted they will have to work on their scrumming, ahead of their trip to Newlands and an encounter with the Stormers on Friday.
From the very first scrum – when the Sharks’ all-Springbok front row of Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis marched them 10 metres back – the visitors were under the cosh in the set pieces.
With the assistance of some leeway by Australian referee Andrew Lees, the Hurricanes managed to frustrated the Sharks for the first hour.
Sharks (10) 27 / 9 (6) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
Kings Park, Durban at 17:05 SA Time (04:05 Sunday NZ Time, 15:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett has named the team of 23 players to face the Cell C Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT) for their Super Rugby season opener.
Four players are set to make their starting debut and a further 2 might make their debut from the bench.
The Australian and New Zealand teams start Super Rugby a week later than their South African rivals and the New Zealand teams kick the season off with a match in Christchurch between a former champion, the Crusaders and the current Champions the Chiefs.
Here we take a brief look at the New Zealand teams and what could lie ahead for the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises.
Right wing Johnny McNicholl ran in a hat-trick of tries as the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes 40 / 15 in a Super Rugby pre-season match in Levin on Friday.
The Wellington-based side enjoyed the better of the first 40 minutes and led 15 / 14 at the half-time interval thanks to tries from flyhalf Beauden Barrett, fullback Marty Banks and prop Ben Franks.
Victor Vito has become the latest Hurricanes player to be ruled out their tough South African tour after rupturing his posterior cruciate ligament in training on Wednesday.
This weekend sees the start of Super Rugby, but only with 2 games in South Africa. For the rest of the Super Rugby Francises, including all New Zealand and Australian franchises, it’s another weekend of preparation matches for Super Rugby.
In New Zealand, the Hurricanes report that Tim Bateman has suffered a grade one medial knee ligament injury at training and will miss 2 to 6 weeks of rugby. Also in New Zealand the Crusaders have named Richie McCaw on the bench for their warm-up encounter with the Hurricanes.
In Australia, the Reds have made some changes amongst their props, with James Slipper in at loosehead and Greg Holmes in at tighthead and a few changes were made in the backline too, for their warm-up clash against the Melbourne Rebels. Also in Australia, Hugh McMeniman returns from injury and will run out for the Force A side to face the Pampas XV and Samoa A.
The Melbourne Rebels edged the Hurricanes 24-22 in their pre-season clash at Simonds Stadium in Geelong on Saturday.
The Rebels made it two from two this pre-season thanks to the decisive penalty kick from Jason Woodward.
KFC today announced its sponsorship of the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams in this year’s Investec Super Rugby competition, which kicks off on 15 February.
The headlines were all about Benji Marshall, but the real winners were the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes spoiled Marshall’s party, his debut in Rugby Union after his conversion from Rugby League, as they came from behind to beat the Blues 38-35 in their pre-season outing in Masterton on Saturday.
The former Kiwi League captain, Marshall, played in the first half and some of the New Zealand media reports raved about his performance.
Star recruit Benji Marshall has been handed the No 10 jersey for the Blues’ opening pre-season match against the Hurricanes in Masterton on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Marshall will play the first 40 minutes at flyhalf, with head coach Sir John Kirwan confirming he had been impressed with the way in which the former Rugby League Wests Tiger player had taken to the playmaker role.
Hurricanes head coach Mark Hammett has named his 27-man team to face the Blues in Masterton this Saturday.
Hurricanes wing and centre Alapati Leiua is believed to have signed a three year deal with London Wasps that will see him moving to England after the Super Rugby season.