Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd, reflecting on his side's quarter‑final win over the Chiefs, admitted his side had at last played with aggression, something they hadn't done for a while.
They will need to bring that and more to Christchurch for their semifinal against the Crusaders this Saturday because it's at the contact areas – where the Hurricanes were so good against the Chiefs in Wellington.
The Hurricanes had hardly fired a shot a week before in Hamilton but at Wespac Stadium the ferocity of men such as Ricky Riccitelli, Gareth Evans and Michael Fatiolofa had the Chiefs on the back foot almost from the first whistle.
With eight All Blacks in the pack and another two on the reserve bench, and a title‑winning coach in Scott Robertson the defending champions will leave nothing to chance.
They should also have a full roster to select from this week - Wyatt Crockett to replace Tim Perry, Joe Moody should be available for this week, Kieran Read with Pete Samu, and Jordan Taufua with Luke Romano.
Boyd says they will need to bring a hard edge, but also accuracy and discipline.
The Crusaders will host the Hurricanes in the first semifinal at 7.35pm Saturday while the Lions will host the Waratahs at 1.05am Sunday.
[Source:NZHerald]
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