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Ben Lam and the Hurricanes to part ways at end of the season

(Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Hurricanes management has confirmed Ben Lam will be leaving the club to play in France in the Top 14 at the end of this Super Rugby season.

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Since his 2017 debut against the Brumbies, Lam has become an integral part of the Hurricanes squad.

Before that, he was an established member of the New Zealand Sevens team which won a silver medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

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Head Coach, Jason Holland, says Lam’s speed and strength has made him a dominant force in Super Rugby. In his first full season in 2018, he supplanted All Black Julian Savea for the Hurricanes’ left-wing job and notched a season-leading 16 tries.

“When Ben first came to the club he was injured and worked really hard in rehab to get himself back into form. Since then, he has become a force to be reckoned with in all facets of the game and the team will miss his influence at training and on game day.”

The 28-year-old departs for Bordeaux in August, where he will continue his rugby career at Bordeaux Bègles. The move of Fijian star Semi Radradra to Bristol left Bordeaux in the market for a similar player, and Lam appears now to be that replacement.

He says the decision stems from wanting a new challenge.

“Growing up, I always wanted to play Super Rugby and I’m truly proud that I’ve been able to do that. But I do feel in my heart that it’s time for me to try something else.”

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Lam says until his departure, he remains entirely committed to Super Rugby and the Hurricanes.

“Ultimately, I enjoy winning and want to have a good season where we end on a high. There is still a lot of rugby to play and I want to make sure I give back to the team and all the loyal Canes fans.

“Since moving to Wellington, I’ve grown to love this city. It’s my home now and I have enjoyed every second I’ve been able to play in this jersey.”

Hurricanes CEO, Avan Lee, says Lam will leave big shoes to fill.

Lam’s Super Rugby strike rate is currently up there with the best in Hurricanes history, with 29 tries in 41 Super games at a strike rate of 0.70 per game. His predecessor Julian Savea scored 50 tries in 116 games at a rate of 0.43 while franchise legend Christian Cullen finished with 56 tries from 85 games at a rate of 0.66.

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“It’s always disappointing for us to lose experienced players, especially as Ben’s made an excellent contribution to the Hurricanes since 2017. We’ll miss him a lot here but understand why he’s leaving and wish him well on the next part of his career.”

Clarke Dermody ahead of the Southern Derby clash between Highlanders and Crusaders:

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Mzilikazi 13 minutes ago
How Dupont-less France tossed a grenade into Ireland's Grand Slam celebrations

This performance from Ireland does not surprise me. Go back to the Emgland game last year, and the way Ireland played there. Some poor defence, especially at the death, allowing the Smith drop goal, which was from an virtually .unmissable position.


Then the AB loss in the autumn, when Ireland played as poorly as I have seen this current group play. I agree with you, Nick, when you cite the falloff in attacking/try scoring ability which started with the Lancaster / Nienaber transition.


The loss of injured players is also a factor, but I would only mention it in passing, not overplay that one. After all, France were missing their first choice centre pairing.


The Prendergast v Crowley debate. I have been in the “Crowley to start” camp from the get go, and for this game specially, I feel that strategically Crowley should have started. The Munster man just has that bit more to his game, that bit more toughness and variation. I would suspect the French coaching group were delighted to be looking at how they played the Irish staring 10 for this game.


Prendergast is a supreme passer of the ball, and ultra cool and balanced, probably the better goal kicker. But in that first half(as far as I have got in the game so far), he was caught twice in possession, once really bulldozed back by the French forwards. In addition, he made some poor kicking choices, and only once took the line on. He was too easy to read, never a line breaking threat. I have read he played out the full 80 at 10. That leaves me seething. The Irish coaching group repeating the mistake made in the RWC QF in France, with Crowley again not used to advantage.

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S
SK 50 minutes ago
How Dupont-less France tossed a grenade into Ireland's Grand Slam celebrations

I think France have made really good improvements. They have found several players on the bench and in the wider squad who are able to now operate at the level of their starters, they have power and devastation on the bench and can change the game. Their gameplan has also evolved and they are able to stay in the fight for longer. Fitness and conditioning seems to have become primary work ons. They have worked massively on breakdown where they forced so many turnovers and always slowed down Irelands ball. How many times did you see a French hand on the ball fighting the first and second cleaner tooth and nail for access before being shoved off of it? They become like a pack of rabid dogs on turnover and transitions, they counter so much better now and you can see elements of the Bordeaux and Toulouse game written all over the team. Its almost like a swarm when they counter. They have great alignment between the Top 14 and the national team and they have a group of players who are well versed in playing this style. You could see clearly in this game why both Galthie and Erasmus now fancy a 7-1 stack against Ireland. It is by and large to overpower them and demolish their breakdown. Irelands attack has devolved. Its now more metronomic than creative. It involves phase after phase of attritional attack and hordes of possession but it lacks creativity and purpose after the second or third phase. The Ireland attack of old kept teams guessing. You didnt know if they were gonna go wide or close in, you had to worry about the offload, the inside pass, the blindside and the hooker on the wing. Now it seems like they move the ball side to side while patiently waiting for the dam wall to break. They also lack pace and bite in the outside channels without Hansen and Lowe. Nash and Osborne were not on it and they struggled to contain the outside French backs who were incredible. France had more leaders that stood up, more grit and more power and it all proved too much for Ireland to handle.

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