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Unsung Hurricanes hero unanimously voted form Kiwi centre
We are now closer to the end of Super Rugby Pacific’s round-robin than the beginning and while plenty of players impressed early in the season, it’s now becoming clearer whose form is more than just a hot streak.
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While the Blues are impressing across the season statistics, with the resurgent form of Hoskins Sotutu leading the competition in tries scored, Mark Tele’a leading all Kiwis in defenders beaten and Caleb Clarke taking out the most metres carried, it’s a player who excels in the intangibles who pundits have backed as the best centre in New Zealand.
When debating their form XV from the first half of the Super Rugby Pacific season, Kiwi pundits have unanimously agreed on Hurricanes centre Billy Proctor as the form No. 13 in the country right now.
The panel, consisting of former All Blacks Jeff Wilson and Justin Marshall as well as former Samoa international Taylah Johnson, each named teams dominated by Hurricanes, with the front row and midfield being entirely Hurricanes in all but one example – Marshall picked the Blues’ Ricky Riccitelli over Asafo Aumua at hooker.
Out of those two particular areas, prop Xavier Numia joined Proctor as the only non-All Blacks selected.
The Hurricanes’ scrum dominance made the dynamic Numia’s selection relatively clear-cut, but the question of Proctor’s selection was whether the 24-year-old had been named due to his individual form or his midfield partnership with Jordie Barrett.
“I’d say partnership with Jordie,” Johnson responded for The Breakdown panel. “You do look at the likes of Rieko (Ioane) and he hasn’t put a foot wrong necessarily, but when you look at the cohesiveness that those two (Barrett and Proctor) play with, that’s why I picked him (Proctor) there.”
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Johnson’s sentiment was echoed by Marshall, who looked to the Hurricanes’ midfield partnership as a tried and tested option for the next level. He also emphasised the All Blacks No. 13 jersey was Ioane’s to lose.
“I pretty much did a process of elimination to say if Rieko was out, obviously Anton (Lienert-Brown) has been injured a lot, who slots in there? If there’s a crisis, what does that jersey look like? It’s Billy Proctor for me, and the combination (with Barrett) doesn’t hurt,” he said.
“Playing with the likely No. 12 for the All Blacks, having synergy, knowing each other, knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and the way they’ve been defending; I know everyone always likes to look at the razzle-dazzle, but for me, defence wins you games.”
That synergy aspect is also likely to be considered by All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, who has a history of valuing cohesion in his previous Crusaders teams.
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Finally, Jeff Wilson explained his selection, noting synergy within the partnership but also Protor’s individual skillset.
“A great scramble defender, Billy Proctor,” Wilson added. “He just continues to work and continues to read situations really well.
“We saw a beautiful step off his right foot to accelerate through a gap against the Fijian Drua which essentially iced the game, it was a beautiful piece of play.
“I look at him and I like the way he’s playing, but we could, over the last seven years, if we were to put down our form 15, there’d be a lot of Crusaders in it, because the team cohesiveness, the way they were playing, the combinations, all of those things add to form and that’s what the Hurricanes have got right now. Whether it’s the front row, whether it’s the midfield backs, it’s those combinations of players.
“They’ve got that synergy, they know what each other can do and that balance between Jordie and Billy is really nice.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments