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Hurricanes' explosive No 8's journey through injury battles to become Crusader killer

Brayden Iose of the Hurricanes during the round 15 Super Rugby Pacific match between Hurricanes and Crusaders at Sky Stadium, on June 03, 2023, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Masanori Udagawa/Getty Images)

Brayden Iose laughs he has a better relationship with the Hurricanes physiotherapists than his teammates.

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Serious injuries to a hip, wrist, and both knees’ have side-lined Iose for extensive chunks of his professional career. He missed the whole of 2018 injured and last year was restricted to just six appearances for the Hurricanes.

On Saturday, Iose scored the game-winning try against the Crusaders. With seven minutes remaining, and the Hurricanes only leading 22-19, he fended off Scott Barrett and Joel Lam in a scintillating 25m burst off the back of a scrum.

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“We got a good hit in the scrum and remained stable, so I had a good picture of where to go and what to do next,” Iose told RugbyPass.

“I was pretty excited when I saw the space down the short side. Having a crack and expressing myself is the way I like to play the game. I never thought, ‘we’ve got them’, after the rush of the try, it was about the next job.”

Iose was earmarked early to deliver moments of exceptional mental clarity and athleticism. He captained the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ in 2016 but until this season has struggled to settle in Super Rugby.

Iose joined the Hurricanes in 2018 and has only managed 11 games until 2022. This year he’s made 13 appearances, including a handful of starts.

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“She’s been pretty tough with all the injuries. I owe LeeVan Santos and Nicole Armstrong a lot. They’ve been amazing with their patience and my rehabbing.

“Recovery, routine, and how you fuel your body is super important. I’ve also picked up a few tips from older guys about how to manage consistent injuries. These things might not save you, but they help a young fella reduce risk and come back stronger.”

In April, Iose scored two tries in a 45-35 victory against the Force in his hometown of Palmerston North. In May against the Chiefs, his startling turn of pace saw him score a try after an intercept at halfway.

The Hurricanes rallied from a 19-3 deficit against the Crusaders. Iose was yellow-carded for a shoulder-to-head tackle in the first half that was considered for a red upgrade.

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“That was anxious. There was no malice in it, but I got my technique and timing wrong,” Iose admitted.

“Tevita Mafileo chopped at the legs, and I didn’t adequately adjust the height in time. It all happened very quickly. I was doing cartwheels when I was told it wasn’t red. I wanted to come back on and contribute positively,”

Vintage fire from Dane Coles in his final match in Wellington also helped the Hurricanes.

“Colsey brings so much edge and niggle. He’s inspirational for all the boys. His critical thinking and experienced advice are awesome too,” Iose said.

The Hurricanes second half was easily their best display of the season albeit in a fixture that didn’t prevent the Crusaders from hosting a quarterfinal.

The Hurricanes scored more tries (70) than any team in the round-robin but were frustratingly inconsistent at times with a shock loss to Fijian Dura as well as comprehensive setbacks to the Chiefs and Blues (twice). What do the Hurricanes look like at their best?

“Hurricanes rugby is exciting and about playing at a fast tempo and really nailing the physical aspect. If we do that everything flows from there and we feel like we can go toe to toe with anyone,” Iose responded.

“I don’t try and think about individual battles. I focus internally on what I need to do and how I can contribute collectively. I think our loose forwards complement each other. We’ve got a lot of healthy competition.”

The Hurricanes travel to GIO Stadium in Canberra to play the Brumbies in the 4 v 5 quarter-final on Saturday. The Brumbies eliminated the Hurricanes in the corresponding fixture last year and Iose predicts a tough encounter.

“The Brumbies kicking game and maul is exceptional. We’ll have to be smart about how we defend the maul and accurate in our exits and moments we choose to attack.”

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'Borthwick needs to have faith in Marcus Smith' Mick Cleary: 'Borthwick needs to have faith in Marcus Smith'
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