Preview of Canes and Rebels match from canes official site. Crucial game for the canes, need a BP win to further cement their playoff and title credentials. Rebels are very unpredictable, on their day can beat anyone. So canes cannot afford to go to sleep like they did againgst the Tahs. Be a bit more structured, and more proficient, which they hd been doing up to Tahs match.
The Hurricanes are in Melbourne preparing to play the Rebels on Friday night in the second leg of their two-match Australian tour.
As part of a congested battle amongst the five New Zealand Investec Super Rugby Conference teams, the Hurricanes’ 39-30 loss to the Waratahs in Saturday night’s Sydney thriller dropped them from first to third, behind the defending champions the Chiefs. A bonus-point victory over the Rebels could send them back to the top, pending other results.
The Rebels, who lost to the overall leaders the Sharks 16-22 at home last weekend, are fourth in the Australian conference with three wins and six losses. They are especially eager to topple the Hurricanes given they have a tough finish on the horizon that will include an end of season trip to the High Veldt in South Africa to play the Lions and the Bulls.
The Hurricanes and the Rebels both rued missed chances in their defeats last weekend. The Hurricanes let slip a first half 24-7 lead in Sydney and were always right in the contest. The Rebels were left reflecting on handling errors and ill-discipline that allowed Sharks sharpshooter Francois Steyn to accumulate points.
The Rebels have a three win-two loss record at home at AAMI Park in Melbourne this season, having beaten the Cheetahs (35-14), the Brumbies (32-24) and the Force (22-16), but losing to the Crusaders (19-25) and to the Sharks.
The Rebels have a well-known New Zealand connection in their ranks, with former Hurricanes and All Blacks centre Tamati Ellison and Wellington duo, openside flanker Scott Fuglistaller and fullback Jason Woodward. Ellison, who is likely to line up against Hurricanes skipper Conrad Smith in a key head-to-head clash, has appeared in all nine of the Rebels’ games so far this year, while Smith is the only Hurricanes player to have been on the field for every minute of their 10 matches.
Fuglistaller and Woodward have proved to be valuable players at the breakdown, and off the kicking tee respectively. Woodward has scored exactly 100 points so far in 2014, with a kicking success rate of 79 percent, while Hurricanes first five-eighth Beauden Barrett is the competition’s leading points scorer with 147 and a kicking success rate of 74 percent.
Other likely head-to-head meetings to look out for in this clash include those at the back of the scrum, where TJ Perenara and Victor Vito for the Hurricanes could line up against former Wallaby halfback Luke Burgess, and Wallaby loose forward Scott Higginbotham. Impact off the bench could also be a telling factor, with the Hurricanes reserves all adding impact in recent weeks.
Heading into this clash, the Hurricanes have scored 297 points and 34 tries in 10 games this season, and the Rebels have scored 185 points and scored 16 tries in nine matches. The Hurricanes have scored the most tries of any team so far and the Rebels the second fewest. The Hurricanes and the Rebels have both conceded an average of 26 points per match.
Friday night’s match will be just the third encounter between the Hurricanes and the Rebels, since the latter joined the expanded Super Rugby competition. Both have won one apiece, the Rebels toppling the Hurricanes 42-25 in Melbourne in 2011 and the Hurricanes winning 66-24 in Wellington in 2012. They didn’t meet last year.
Their first match in 2011 was memorable for the Rebels, as it provided their first win against overseas opposition. It also set Rebels marks for the highest score and the biggest winning margin against all teams. The Hurricanes ran riot in 2012, posting their highest score in Super rugby and equalling their team record with nine tries in the match. Individually, Julian Savea scored a hat-trick and Barrett converted all nine conversions and kicked a penalty for 21 points.
http://www.hurricanes.co.nz/news/2014/05/06/hurricanes-v-rebels-preview
