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Ruben Love relocated, potential debut for Hurricanes vs Moana Pasifika

TJay Clarke of Wellington passes during the Bunnings Warehouse NPC Final match between Wellington and Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium, on October 26, 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Hurricanes have made a handful of changes in their matchday 23 to face Moana Pasifika, including a potential debut off the bench for Tjay Clarke.

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All Black hooker Asafo Aumua will miss the contest with concussion, making room for Jacob Devery to start in the No.2 jersey, with Raymond Tuputupu coming off the bench. Hugo Plummer and Devan Flanders also join the starting XV after appearances off the bench in Brisbane last week.

Brett Cameron makes his first start of the season at 10, moving Ruben Love back to fullback, where he’ll join Bailyn Sullivan and Fatafehi Fineanganofo in the back three.

A win would secure a top 4 finish for the Hurricanes, meaning even a loss in the qualifying finals would see them make the semis.

Hurricanes Head Coach Clark Laidlaw said: “We’re excited to play a really tough, highly motivated Moana Pasifika team who are chasing a playoff spot for the first time in their history. We’re trying to finish as high up in the table as possible for the playoffs, so I’m sure both teams have plenty of motivation to play well.

“A couple of milestones with Tryel making his 100th New Zealand Super Rugby appearance and Tjay Clarke making his debut, which are nice for this week.

“We’ve had to make a few changes to the forward pack. Devan Flanders starts for the first time this year to try to get his minutes up as we head into the playoffs.

“In the backs, we’re giving Brett Cameron a start, we’re delighted about how Ruben has steered the ship, and he could end up there later in the game anyway, but it gives BC, similar to Devan, an opportunity to start the game and run the cutter from the start alongside Ruben.

“We’re enjoying those two boys working together; they’ve been a really good combination the last couple of weeks, and they now get a chance to do it together right from the start this week.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
4
Draws
0
Wins
1
Average Points scored
51
20
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
80%

Hurricanes team to play Moana Pasifika

  1. Xavier Numia
  2. Jacob Devery
  3. Tyrel Lomax
  4. Zach Gallagher
  5. Hugo Plummer
  6. Devan Flanders
  7. Du’Plessis Kirifi (Co Captain)
  8. Peter Lakai
  9. Cam Roigard
  10. Brett Cameron
  11. Fatafehi Fineanganofo
  12. Peter Umaga-Jensen
  13. Billy Proctor (Co Captain)
  14. Bailyn Sullivan
  15. Ruben Love

Impact  

16. Raymond Tuputupu
17. Pouri Rakete-Stones
18. Pasilio Tosi
19. Will Tucker
20. Brad Shields (Co Captain)
21. Ereatara Enari
22. Jone Rova
23. Tjay Clarke (Debut)

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Comments

3 Comments
B
BigMack 42 days ago

Leave Love at 10. I think he could be next long term ABs #10. All round game-management is improving every game, and the more I watch him the more I’m impressed by his passing - it’s the speed he gets the ball to his outsides or something..can’t quite put my finger on it.

R
RD 43 days ago

What do you mean “even a loss in the qualifying final would see them make the semis”? What's the point of the qualifying final if the higher seeded team goes through either way and the lower seeded team doesn't?


I thought it was like the old 6 team playoff series, the top 2 go straight to the semis, the next 4 play each other to play the top 2

C
Cantab 43 days ago

Moana hit the wall last week & it doesn’t get much easier against the Hurricanes if at all.

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takata 1 hour ago
Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

Please, tell me who exactly are all those millionaires owning the Top 14?


And, by the way, can you tell me who are also those that ever transformed a single French club into their cash cow?


It’s probably an old cliché comming from, some time ago in early pro time, the revival of both Ile-de-France clubs by private investors like J. Lorenzetti at Racing 92, or the rise of Toulon’s “Gallacticos” under Mourad Boudjellal, ending with the very noisy late Altrad investments into Montpellier-Hérault. Even if a few major titles were collected by those clubs, and that it would indeniably have helped to rise the fame of the whole Top 14, the global return on private investments simply didn’t ever pay back what they put in.


Another look into the last decade will show you that French clubs are not millionaires pet-projects either. From this season top 6, amongst Stade Toulousain (1st), Union Bordeaux-Bègles (2nd), Rugby Club Toulonnais (3rd), l’Aviron Bayonnais (4th), Clermont-Auvergne (5th) and Castres Olympique (6th), only the last two are backed by historical corporate entities: Michelin (tires) for Clermont and Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (pharma) for Castres.


That’s long term sponsorship from those city main industries and, with Stade Toulousain since 1907, Clermont and Castres (one of the lowest budget in Top 14), are also the oldest members of the French rugby club elite. This certainly prove some healthy stability in their management. They are in fact as far away from marketing “products” that they are from Paris.


But in Top 14, as reflected by their national team selection, club power is certainly measured by their success. The most successful of them all, Stade Toulousain, reached a 2023-2024 budget comparable with the lower end of a French elite football club (those not named PSG) and half of it’s income (€30 millions) was comming from merchandising sales only. Last monday, UBB sold out, in a matter of few hours, its 20K season ticket (out of their 32K seats stadium) and La Rochelle’s stadium was also sold out faster than I can type it for every single game of last season; and so on.


Now, take only those three clubs providing 90% of the national team and paying 100% of their wages. Tell them that the share of the limited game time allowed to their top players, will rise from 25% to 40% for the national team, without any further compensation for the club than allowing them to spend more in recruitment (of probably lesser quality substitutes).


See how it goes now with their board and Presidents, even if probably all of them are turning real profits.

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