Friday night's Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Sharks in Napier received just the boost it needs when both sides scored big away wins in the latest round at Easter.
Nominally a home match for the Hurricanes it is the last match at McLean Park before the excavators move in to rebuild the oval with a new drainage system, a drop-in cricket block and a new hybrid turf.
The Wellington-based Hurricanes travelled to Melbourne to hammer hosts and surprise early competition leaders the Rebels 50-19, while the Sharks, from Natal in South Africa, walloped hapless New Zealand side the Blues 63-40 in Auckland.
The Hurricanes scored seven tries and the Sharks six, pointing to the likelihood of try-fest in Napier similar to the highly entertaining last two Hurricanes matches at the park, a 56-21 win over Australian side the Brumbies last year and a 56-20 win over Dunedin-based the Highlanders in 2015.
With the Rebels on a bye this week, a win for the Hurricanes will put them into the competition lead. They have overtaken Christchurch-based defending champions the Crusaders as TAB favourites to win the competition, and are hot favourites to win on Friday, last night quoted by the TAB at $1.04, compared with the $9 odds for the visitors.