‘Be very, very careful’: Former Wallaby’s warning for Hurricanes

Former Wallaby Cameron Shepherd believes the Hurricanes need to “be very, very careful” when they take on a determined Chiefs outfit in Hamilton in a blockbuster round 14 derby.

Coach Clark Laidlaw led the Hurricanes to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder earlier this season and the men from New Zealand’s capital stayed there until they lost to the Blues.

Now, with just two regular season matches to go, the Hurricanes are at risk of falling out of the top two should they lose to the Chiefs and the ACT Brumbies get the better of the Melbourne Rebels.

But the Hurricanes are one of the teams to beat this season for a reason, with the competition heavyweights overcoming some tough tests to date including a win over the Chiefs at Wellington’s Sky Stadium in mid-April.

That was a statement win, and the Hurricanes have replicated that sense of heroism on the rugby field in other tough fixtures, but if all roads lead to Rome then this week's ‘Rome’ is none other than Hamilton.

“The last game was a beauty and I actually think the Chiefs should’ve won (against the Hurricanes earlier this season),” Shepherd said on Stan Sports’ Rugby Heaven.

“It’s an interesting matchup as well because the Chiefs throw the ball around so much, they’re so expansive and I don’t think the Hurricanes like that, especially when you throw in the (Damian) McKenzie’s and (Shaun) Stevenson’s of the world that can just flash out of anywhere.

“The Hurricanes are going to have to be very, very careful. But once that juggernaut starts going for the Hurricanes… the Canes are going to come ready to play but it should be a cracker nonetheless.”

The Chiefs host the Hurricanes in the opening match of the round on Friday night which will only add to the drama throughout the weekend. With the Brumbies also in the hunt for a top-two finish, the maths could be very simple.

While the Hamilton-based Chiefs would leapfrog both the Brumbies and Hurricanes into second with a bonus point win, the Australian juggernaut from the ACT could still rise up into second place with a win of their own.

Playing at the fortress that is Canberra’s GIO Stadium, the Rebels would need to achieve something quite spectacular to get the better of the Brumbies – but weird things have happened in Super Rugby Pacific.

“It’s gonna be great to watch the last two games for the Chiefs (are) against the Hurricanes, they’ll play in Hamilton, then they’ll go away to the Blues,” Wallabies legend Tim Horan had said moments earlier on the Stan Sport show.

“Really important for the ramifications for below, you know around that top two, top three.

“Of course, the Brumbies are sitting third at the moment. The Brumbies will be cheering the (Chiefs) to try and beat (the Hurricanes).”