Boyd wants more from Hurricanes
Hurricanes' coach Chris Boyd might have guided his side to two wins from as many games to start the Super Rugby season but he isn't satisfied.
Boyd's in his first year in charge, and the Hurricanes 17-13 win over the Bulls 17-13 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday continued their promising start to the 2015 campaign.
The Hurricanes scratched about as they beat the Lions 22-8 in Johannesburg last week but their defensive resolve jumped another level with the victory over the Bulls.
"We are delighted to have come to Africa and got eight [competition] points but we are actually not terribly happy with the way we played, we've been too inaccurate," Boyd said.
The Hurricanes struggled to retain possession against the Lions but despite having more of the ball against the Bulls, couldn't put more points on the board.
Loose passes and the odd dropped ball didn't help but there's no way the Hurricanes would have predicted they would leave South Africa with two wins, something they hadn't done since 2006.
History buffs will remember that 2006 was also the last, and only, time the Hurricanes made the Super Rugby final but don't get ahead of yourself.
Despite Boyd's honest assessment of the past fortnight, there were aspects of his side's performance that he was pleased with.
"The thing that's really nice for me is the boys have shown plenty of commitment and that box, for now, is ticked and we can go on with refining the detail of our game," he added.
The Hurricanes have adopted a more conservative approach in their part of the field when clearing the ball, which is part of a wider game plan that has been punctuated by watertight defence this season. They've conceded only two tries in 160 minutes of rugby.
"It's often our kick-chase and the basics of the game that let us down, particularly at the start of the season," Hurricanes skipper Conrad Smith said.
In a game of few chances, some smart thinking from wing Julian Savea proved vital in the secondhalf, as the All Black took a quick tap instead of a kickable penalty and burrowed through to score the Hurricanes' only try.
"I like encouraging guys to have a crack and if Julian thinks he's got a chance then who am I to stop him?" Smith added.
Beauden Barrett's four penalties made up the rest of the Hurricanes' points, while Bulls' pivot Handre Pollard scored a try and kicked the goals for his team.
Strong play from the bench has also helped Boyd's side and having the likes of Ardie Savea, Victor Vito and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen coming off the pine was one of the game's deciding factors.
The big Bulls forward pack was blowing, while the Hurricanes tackled with vigour and despite Bulls' forward Grant Hattingh grounding the ball over the try line in the final minutes, the TMO correctly ruled that his left hand was out as he scored and the try was disallowed.
Pleasingly for Boyd, there were no major injuries to his side, although some of his forwards will be in need of an ice bath after two physical games.
The Hurricanes can complete their winning trifecta to start the season when they meet the Force in Perth on the way home next weekend before they have a bye.
NZ Herald
