Canes expect Highlanders rugby dogfight
AAP
May 15, 2014, 7:09 am
The cannibalising of New Zealand's Super Rugby conference accelerates this week when two teams sitting either side of the playoff divide meet in Wellington.
Points differential separates the sixth-placed Hurricanes and seventh-placed Highlanders ahead of their Friday showdown, with both sides expecting another down-to-the-wire outcome.
In their past 11 meetings, the losing team has picked up a bonus point for finishing within seven points.
A repeat wouldn't surprise Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett, who said the pragmatic approach employed this year by counterpart Jamie Joseph had turned the southerners into a team based around a strong kicking game.
"We've got a really healthy respect for the Highlanders and the work they do across the board in the contact areas," he said.
"Statistics would show that they're running a lot less and are playing a very good territory game. We have to be ready for that although Jamie's a smart guy and likes to throw out different pictures."
Both teams sit on 30 points although the Highlanders have played one less game (10).
The winners could climb past the fourth-placed Crusaders (31 points), who host the Sharks on Saturday, and possibly move level with the second-placed Chiefs (35), who have a bye.
The 10th-placed Blues (25) aren't out of contention either, with the final conference pecking order to be largely determined by 10 New Zealand derbies over the following five rounds.
Hammett's men, who have won five of their past six games, face five successive derby games before a bye in the final round.
He hopes his players are physically primed for a big finish and says four changes to his starting team this week reflect the need to keep players fresh.
The exception is at hooker, where All Black Dane Coles is ruled out with a minor back injury suffered during last week's 25-15 win over the Rebels in Melbourne.
Hammett expects Coles to be fit for the first All Black training camp in Christchurch starting on Sunday and the Hurricanes' game against the Chiefs next week.
Replacement Motu Matu'u gets his first start of the year while prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, flanker Jack Lam and inside centre Tim Bateman return in place of Reggie Goodes, Ardie Savea and Alapati Leiua respectively.
Hammett has named a 6-2 forwards-backs split, leaving openside flanker Savea as the cover for winger if needed.
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