Hurricanes

Barrett brothers back for Hurricanes

Beauden will start at first five after coming off the bench during the Hurricanes first up loss to the Bulls while Jordie will start at fullback.

Sunday's match will be the first time Jordie Barrett has started a game since he injured his shoulder playing for the Hurricanes in last year's Super rugby semi final in July.

All up the Hurricanes have made made four changes to the starting side from last week with prop Chris Eves replacing the injured Toby Smith while Ben Lam comes on to the wing to replace Wes Goosen who has an ankle injury.

Hurricanes lose forward to Wales

27 year old Thomson, has been part of the Hurricanes club since 2013, making 40 appearances. That number would have been significantly higher had he not suffered two serious shoulder injuries in recent seasons.

Equally adept at No 8 or lock, the former New Zealand Under-20 world champion and Maori All Black said he was determined to help the Hurricanes fulfil their potential and win another Investec Super Rugby title before he headed to the Welsh club.

"My focus is fully on finishing the current season on a high with the Hurricanes and hopefully lifting some silverware.

One of the worst performances by the Hurricanes

It was a hugely disappointing effort and result for Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd.

Boyd said he realised after about three minutes of play game that his side had not turned up, which was disappointing because he they had been working towards the game for a long time.

"In the period of time that I've been coaching here I don't think I've ever been involved in a game where we've prepared so well and delivered so little."

Ngatai and Cane to captain Chiefs

Cane has shared the role with Aaron Cruden over the past two campaigns before the first-five departed for France last year.

Ngatai has captained both the Maori All Blacks and Taranaki under new Chiefs coach Colin Cooper, who had no hesitation in selecting the pair.

Cooper was not so enthusiastic, however, about discussing the potential signing of prodigy Etene Nanai-Seturo following his high-profile split with the Warriors NRL club.

Canes thrash Crusaders in pre-season hit out

Jonah Lowe bagged a hat-trick as the visitors ran in seven tries to four in ideal conditions, with both teams using a host of different players.

None of the All Blacks in both squads were available for the contest.

It left Crusaders coach Scott Robertson to blood 18 players who are yet to experience Super Rugby, while Northampton-bound Hurricanes mentor Chris Boyd also surveyed his depth.

There were no apparent serious injuries suffered.

The next assignment for both teams is next week's Brisbane 10s tournament.

Savea staying with Canes

Savea, 27, was dumped from Steve Hansen's All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship after a less than impressive series against the British and Irish Lions. He was also benched by the Hurricanes for their Super Rugby semifinal against the Lions in Johannesburg - the second straight year he was demoted at the business end of the competition.

Hurricanes succumb to Lions

Up 22-3 just before the halftime break, but the Lions found their rhythm in the second half to set up a showdown with the Crusaders in Johannesburg next weekend.

It ended an eight match losing streak for the Lions against the Hurricanes, including last season's Super Rugby final when they were beaten 20-3 in Wellington.

It also extends the stay of Gloucester-bound Lions coach Johan Ackermann for one more game, when he will have the chance to end his four-year stay by helping them become just the second South African team, after the Bulls, to lift the Super Rugby trophy.

Lions desperate to overcome history against Hurricanes

The Lions have lost their last eight games home and away to the New Zealand side, including a 20-3 defeat in last year's Super Rugby final in Wellington, and a humbling 50-17 home loss in the 2016 regular season.

That heavy defeat was the last time the South Africans were beaten at their Ellis Park fortress, amassing a winning run of 14 games since, that almost came to an end against the Sharks in the quarter-finals last weekend.

Laumape searching for space

The Hurricanes' second five-eighth probably didn't begin the Super Rugby season as a huge topic of pre-match discussions. Flatten enough opponents, though, and coaches will suddenly circulate clip after clip of you to their charges.

Give Laumape the chance to take a defender one-on-one and there's only one winner. But such has been his form this year, that those odds haven't been in his favour for a while.

"I've been noticing that and us, as a team, we know what we need to do better," Laumape said ahead of Sunday's semifinal against the Lions in Johannesburg.

Coles back, Savea out for Hurricanes

All Blacks hooker Coles will make his first start in more than four months in what will be his 100th game for the Hurricanes when he leads them on to Ellis Park to face the Lions on Sunday morning.

Having finally shaken off the concussion symptoms that ruled him out of the Test series against the British and Irish Lions, Coles returned off the bench against the Brumbies in Canberra last week.

He impressed in the 35-16 quarter-final win and pushes Ricky Riccitelli to the bench, while reclaiming the captain's armband from TJ Perenara.