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Hurricanes name 6-2 bench split to play the Blues at Eden Park
By Ben Smith
The Hurricanes have named a 6-2 bench split for their team to play the Blues as the two best sides in Super Rugby Pacific prepare to square off at Eden Park on Saturday.
The visitors are looking for back-to-back wins over the Blues for the first time since 2019 after they secured a 29-19 win in Wellington off the back of three try assists to fullback Ruben Love in round three.
But the Blues are in form and haven't been beaten at Eden Park in their last 10 outings at the ground. The Crusaders are the only side to beat the Blues at Eden Park in their last 31 fixtures.
Head coach Clark Laidlaw has named his strongest side possible for the crunch match between the 9-1 teams, loading the bench with six forwards for the occasion.
“We’ve managed to strike a really good balance with our squad, we have a level of depth, which we’re really happy with and the competitiveness across the squad,” he said.
"This is an exciting opportunity for us to be able to take on a top side at their home and put our best foot forward. The team showed a level of maturity last week to bounce back and put out a strong performance for our fans.
"We haven’t won in Auckland since 2019 – so we know that there is a massive challenge ahead of the side."
The fixture will see two of the most prolific scoring teams in the competition go head-to-head. The Hurricanes are ranked first in tries scored per game with 5.3 trailed by the Blues in second with 5.2 per game. Both sides rank in the top three for most attacking stats.
Hurricanes team to play the Blues:
1. Xavier Numia
2. Kianu Kereru-Symes
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Caleb Delany
5. Isaia Walker-Leawere
6. Brad Shields (c)
7. Peter Lakai
8. Brayden Iose
9. TJ Perenara
10. Brett Cameron
11. Kini Naholo
12. Jordie Barrett
13. Billy Proctor
14. Joshua Moorby
15. Ruben Love
Reserves
16. Raymond Tuputupu
17. Pouri Rakete-Stones
18. Pasilio Tosi
19. Justin Sangster
20. Devan Flanders
21. Du'Plessis Kirifi
22. Richard Judd
23. Bailyn Sullivan
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Latest Comments
I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.
Go to commentsDon't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
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