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Shields: Hurricanes ready for two Super Rugby finals
By Alex Fisher
Ahead of their last-four clash with the Crusaders, Brad Shields says the Hurricanes face two finals in their pursuit of a second Super Rugby title.
Having clung on to see off the Chiefs 32-31 in the last eight, the Canes face the top-ranked Crusaders in the semi-finals in Christchurch on Saturday.
Shields knows the defending champions – and record eight-time winners – will be tough to overcome and has called for focus from his side as they look to repeat their 2016 success.
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"The word I've heard is this is going to be our final this week, because we've got to play our best footy otherwise we're not coming back next week," said the flanker.
"Sometimes, in play-offs footy, you've got a couple of opportunities and if you can nail them, maybe that's all it's going to take.
"At the end of the day, if you don't play well and don't do you own things well, you've got no chance."
The Canes beat the Crusaders 29-19 on March 10 but lost the return match 24-13 two weeks later.
At the end of the regular season, the Crusaders finished 12 points clear of their semi-final opponents, and coach Scott Robertson has named a strong side – including a pack made up entirely of All Blacks.
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Borthwick has obviously earned the right to expect people to look elsewhere when the sort of personal problems likely at the heart of Jones' departure occur but it's hard to believe he's, if not entirely to blame, at least most of the problem.
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Go to commentsBM My rugby fanaticism journey began as a youngster waking up in the early hours of the morning with a cup of coffee to watch the Boks play the ABs on that 1981 rebel tour, where we lost the last game in the dying seconds to a penalty, and ended up losing the series 2-1. Danie Gerber, Naas Botha, Ray Mordt, and DuPlessis, to name a few; what a team! I believe we could've won another World Cup with those boys playing in their prime.
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