Playing without All Blacks a welcome challenge says Hurst

By RICHARD BOOCK

Ben Hurst is welcoming the challenge of trying to defend the Ranfurly Shield without a battery of All Blacks.

The Canterbury captain is in no doubt about the seriousness of Waikato's threat in tomorrow's challenge at Jade Stadium, but reckons the greater degree of difficulty has only made the task more appealing.

Canterbury began the NPC with three wins before dropping two matches in Dunedin and Invercargill, leaving them looking a shade vulnerable for the game against Waikato.

But Hurst said he would not trade places with anyone in the country this week, and that the absence of some of Canterbury's top players only sweetened the challenge for his entire squad.

"We knew it was going to be a tough season - Auckland, Wellington, Waikato and Taranaki - but every challenge is unique; we understand that and we're expecting a real dog-fight on Saturday."

He said that, despite attempts to treat the challenge as "just another NPC game," the reality was that the players, officials, fans and opposition were more keyed up than usual, and there was far more interest in the event.

Expectations in Canterbury were high, he said, and supporters were not cutting the team any slack because so many top players were away on All Blacks duty. If anything, the public were proving more demanding.

"It's very intense - it's seriously unreal. But it's a lot of fun to be involved and it's the reason that guys like us play the game - for some of us it's the closest thing to test rugby we'll get."

As for the fans, he suggested they had become used to Canterbury and the Crusaders winning, to the extent that their expectations did not change - whether the All Black contingent was available or not.

And the players wanted it that way, preferring to be assessed as a team in their own right, rather than being treated as temporary caretakers.

"We talked right from the start about this being a team unto itself," Hurst said. "We always understood we were going to be missing some players this year and, as a consequence, our preparation for this campaign has been very good.

"We've had a couple of disappointments lately [Otago and Southland], but there will be no shortage of commitment to the cause. This is a full Canterbury team and everyone understands the significance of the shield and the jersey.

"Besides that, it's also a big chance to be part of a special history."

The Canterbury halfback said it was clear from the atmosphere in Christchurch this week that the shield still played a major role in the minds of New Zealand rugby fans.

"It seems that everyone has a story about the Log," he said. "People remember the street parades in Napier, Blenheim, or Invercargill, or the close misses, or the upset wins. It's become part of our social fabric.

"So whether you like it or not, there's always extra pressure surrounding a shield match, especially one which has the public interest of this one. You hear it all the time, but there's still something very special about the shield."

And long-term goals? "Mate, I would really like nothing more than to have that shield tucked away in Christchurch for the summer.

"Wouldn't it be great if the All Blacks came back from the World Cup and it was still in Christchurch."

After five rounds, Canterbury are in the middle of the table.

Waikato, who leapfrogged Otago at the top of the standings by beating the southerners last weekend, are on 19 points, one ahead of Otago.

Wellington and Southland follow on 15, with Canterbury on 13, Auckland 12, North Harbour and Taranaki 11, Bay of Plenty 10 and Northland 4.

Canterbury will again be without influential playmaker Andrew Mehrtens, but the injured first five-eighths would not have prevented Southland's success last weekend.

Mehrtens offers class, experience and accuracy, but even he cannot infuse the hunger and urgency that Canterbury have so sorely lacked in recent weeks. In his absence, Cameron McIntyre will start at first five-eighth for the second successive match.

It came as no surprise when Waikato coach Ian Foster decided against making any changes to his side to challenge for the shield, which has a good chance of heading north should Canterbury be at anything below their best.

NPC points table