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Carlos Spencer set for Hurricanes homecoming

Hurricanes assistant coach Carlos Spencer. Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Carlos Spencer’s New Zealand coaching debut will take place at a fairytale location for the former All Black, his old home town of Levin.

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Spencer and the Hurricanes will host the defending champion Crusaders in their Super Rugby pre-season match at Levin Domain in just over two weeks time on February 2.

Spencer, who was born in Levin and schooled at Waiopehu College, took up his new role as assistant coach with the Hurricanes late last year.

While he has overseas experience coaching in South Africa and most recently in Japan, the former All Blacks playmaker will be making his New Zealand coaching debut at the Levin Domain.

“It’s funny how some things work out in the fact my first gig involved in coaching a New Zealand side in Super Rugby will be at the domain where I spent so much time as a kid,” he said in a Hurricanes release.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back there for the day with this team and showing a lot of friends and family what we are about.”

The pre-season match will be the first time the Hurricanes have played at Levin for five years, a venue where they traditionally receive great support.

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Spencer believed that would be repeated on the first Saturday of February when two of Super Rugby’s best sides have their first public hit out of 2019.

“The coaching group are really keen to see the work we have done with the squad so far transferred out on the field to see how we are progressing and there will be no better opposition to do that against than the Crusaders,” he said.

Though he was born in Levin, Spencer made his name playing with Auckland and the Blues in the 1990s and early 2000s after being recruited by Sir Graham Henry.

The 35-test All Black was an integral part of Auckland’s success and the Blues’ two titles from 1997 and 2003.

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Nickers 18 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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