Rugby: Cooper upbeat as Canes face rematch with Chiefs

Victor Vito was a stand-out performer in the Hurricanes' win over the Reds. Photo / Getty Images

Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper didn't lose any sleep fretting about whether his side would host a Super 14 rugby semifinal.

When their fate - a trip to Hamilton to face the Chiefs next weekend - was sealed early yesterday morning, a clearly upbeat Cooper reflected the confidence bubbling amid his side as they prepared to fly home from Brisbane.

"Wherever we go, this team will be tough to knock over," he said. "We just wanted to ensure we made the top four, it didn't really matter where."

Having dispatched an injury-ravaged Reds 37-28 after a blistering first half-hour of attack at Suncorp Stadium, the Hurricanes needed the Sharks to topple the Bulls in Durban for their semifinal to be in Wellington.

When the Bulls snuck home 27-26 to clinch top spot, Cooper insisted it caused barely a ripple in the camp.

They now return to the scene of their 8-16 defeat to the Chiefs last weekend, when the Waikato men disrupted their flowing style to good effect.

"The Chiefs will be tough at home; it's always a big ask going there," he said. "But that win [last night] has given us a lot of confidence. It's amazing how your confidence gets knocked, and now we're back on track."

Adding to Cooper's buoyant mood was an injury-free medical report for his players. The result continued Cooper's impressive record with the Hurricanes; their fifth playoff appearance in seven seasons. Still, they remain title-less, with three semifinal defeats since 2003 and a solitary appearance in the decider - a 12-19 loss in the 2006 fog in Christchurch.

In one of the most even seasons in recent memory in 2009, Cooper felt the Brisbane hit-out had his Hurricanes cherry ripe for a title charge.

"There were a few things we had to sort out. We learned some good things from that loss [to the Chiefs] and we'll go in a lot better prepared this time.

"I'm excited and pretty proud of my boys. They never gave up and they had to really fight for that win.

"The Reds kept coming back and we had to dig deep, particularly in the contact area. If we hadn't worked really hard we would have got tipped over."

All Blacks midfielder Ma'a Nonu scored two of the Hurricanes' five tries as they cruised to the bonus point after 33 minutes in what appeared at times little more than an opposed training run.

The Reds fought back with three converted tries and it was 31-21 with 25 minutes left, before back-to-back Willie Ripia penalties gave the visitors enough breathing space.

A Hurricanes standout was sevens star Victor Vito who produced one of his better efforts in the No 6 jersey.

His devastating runs with the ball clutched in one hand set up two tries.

"[Victor] adds a lot of firepower on attack and defence and he could be a real star of the future for us," Cooper said.

- NZPA