KEY POINTS:
The Hurricanes unveiled a little pizazz last week but Ma'a Nonu reckons a return to ugly Super 14 rugby will be just fine as long as they can beat the Stormers this weekend.
The in-form Nonu joined coach Colin Cooper in predicting a far stiffer challenge in Cape Town on Sunday morning (NZ time) than during the 50-22 thumping of the Bulls in Pretoria.
The third-placed Hurricanes are just three points ahead of the seventh-placed Stormers going into a match of huge importance to both teams as they prepare to mount late charges for semifinal places.
Nonu was quick to dampen any excitement about the attacking fireworks from last weekend - of which he was a central figure - and said his team was simply focused on walking off Newlands as winners.
"Everyone's talking about the way we won last week but that was last week, it's the winning that counts, not how you do it," Nonu said.
"It's never that easy in the Republic. We're here for three weeks and we just want to win."
The master of self-deprecation, Nonu shrugged aside any praise for his performances this season.
He has been a constant threat on the wing for most of the Hurricanes' campaign and looked even more dangerous when shifted to second five-eighth last week.
Defenders didn't want to know him when he charged 35m for the first try and a spectacular one-handed intercept gave him a second.
"It wasn't too bad. I could have done a lot more. I guess that's why I was taken off (replaced)," he said.
"I guess I should do more work this week.
"The Stormers are pretty sharp, D up (defend) in a certain way and they've got experienced players so it'll be a tough challenge."
Nonu will wear No 12 again but said it didn't bother him where he was picked, whether it was at Super 14 or international level.
"Like I've said before, it's not where I play, it's whether I play or not. They can put me wherever.
The Stormers have won four of their last five games, including last week's 34-22 defeat of the Cheetahs at Newlands.
Cooper experienced a dose of deja vu in watching video footage of his opponents this week.
"They're probably similar to the Hurricanes. They play with width and they offload in contact and try to play with the full width of the field," he said.
"We'll look to make a good start again, that'll be important."
The clash between Nonu and Conrad Smith against a Stormers midfield of Springbok Jean de Villiers and the creative Gcobani Bobo should be a highlight unless wet, windy weather in Cape Town this week turns the match into a forward tussle.
Stormers captain De Villiers said Nonu and Smith complemented each other well.
"Nonu is an aggressive ball-carrier. He is fast and has a good sidestep. Smith, on the other hand, is a hard worker who will try to fool you rather than use force.
"The Hurricanes have classy individuals. The problem lies in the individual brilliance they can produce. We've had several challenges of this kind; every time against New Zealand teams."
The Stormers defended well when they lost 0-22 to the Crusaders, and also against the Blues, when they went down 14-17.
They were most impressive on attack when they beat the Chiefs 35-26, with loose forwards Schalk Burger, Luke Watson and Francois Louw dominant.
This week they match their muscle with All Blacks trio Jerry Collins, Chris Masoe and Rodney So'oialo.
If conditions are wet, Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus may be tempted to inject reserve first five-eighth Tony Brown into the game early.
A renowned wet-weather performer, Brown kicked the All Blacks to victory over the Springboks at Newlands in 2001.
- NZPA
