Jane, Milner-Skudder in fitness race

 

Wing Cory Jane and fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder are both suffering from hamstring problems.

 

Head coach Chris Boyd says he's constantly checking in with the medical staff.

 

"I keep asking them to go their crystal ball and tell me because as a coach, all you want to know is when, not what or how – it's just when.

 

"They're pretty confident that him and Nehe, who also got a mild hamstring strain. We're way over the top of 50 percent at this stage."

 

Boyd's side have a bye during the first round of the Super Rugby play-offs and won't know their semifinal opponents until early Sunday morning; they will host the lowest-ranked loser from this week's elimination finals at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, June 27.

 

Boyd says he doesn't have a clear-cut preference as to who will emerge as the 'Canes semifinal opponents after this weekend's play-off qualifiers.

    

If the Brumbies were to upset the Stormers in Cape Town they would host the Australians but if the Stormers hold serve, the Hurricanes will play the winner of the Highlanders-Chiefs clash in Dunedin.

 

All sides come with their respective strengths and weaknesses but hosting the Brumbies in a semifinal following a tough battle with the Stormers, and the added travel, could be the best prospect – on paper – for the Hurricanes.

 

But the Canberra outfit also bring an element of the unknown as the Hurricanes didn't meet them during the regular season.

 

"The Brumbies are a bit of a dark horse to me," Boyd said. "They play a very un-Australian game in a lot of ways."

 

Besides Jane and Milner-Skudder, the Hurricanes have Beauden Barrett [calf], Sam McNicol [concussion], Matt Proctor [concussion], James Broadhurst [back] and Blade Thomson [ankle] under medical watch this week.

 

Barrett performed a goalkicking session on Monday morning and should be fine for the semifinals, but the biggest question marks are around Jane and Thomson.

 

Jane played only 18 minutes during the Hurricanes' 21-13 win over the Chiefs on Saturday night before he left the field in New Plymouth; he will need to be diligent in his rehabilitation to be fit for the semis.

 

Thomson is also a fluid prospect, while Proctor still has concussion testing protocols to meet. McNicol, who made his Super Rugby debut on Saturday, passed his post-match testing and had shown no signs of ongoing symptoms.

 

Boyd also noted that despite being caught in a couple of heavy tackles during the weekend, skipper Conrad Smith was healthy.

 

Meanwhile, the side will attend the public memorial Jerry Collins in Porirua on Wednesday.

 

Once they return to the training paddock later in the week, Boyd wants his team to improve their lineout. It's a facet of their play that has faltered in recent weeks after a consistent start to the season.

 

"There's no one isolated factor," Boyd said. "[Dane Coles] might miss a throw and then we might miss a call. So, collectively, the whole thing just hasn't quite been as well-oiled as other parts of our machine."

 

The Hurricanes struggled to produce convincing performances coming off a bye during the regular season but Boyd said that wouldn't be a concern in the semifinals.

 

"You'd be massively disappointed as an organisation if a team didn't get up for a semifinal at home. So I don't suspect that'll be a problem."