By Jim Kayes
They've played more than 100 games each for the Hurricanes but neither Andrew Hore or Ma’a Nonu thought their tenure with the franchise would end like this.
“It's pretty disappointing not being required next year. I had nothing to do with the matter, I guess that's the way it goes. It's a shame, but you move on,” he says.
“I was pretty keen to finish on my own terms, move on when my time was done, I suppose that's the frustrating thing, I still think I've got something to offer. I suppose that might have to be somewhere else now,” says Hore.
So why has rookie coach Mark Hammett sacked his captain and one of the Hurricanes most important backs?
Six hurricanes are leaving at the end of the year, including fringe All Blacks prop Neemia Tialata. There's talk of a rift, that the senior players don't like Hammett's style.
“If you're wondering to get a lot of goss and dirt, I'm not that person, I never have been, I'm not going to play it out in the media,” Hammett says.
“We all saw his ideas and tried to implement them with the way we've been playing for the last however many years, and I think it's just trying to find the right balance,” says halfback Piri Weepu.
Hammett says he hasn't been trying to turn the Hurricanes into his old team, the highly successful Crusaders, and this was his response at suggestions he struggles with Polynesian players.
Nonu and Hore haven't helped themselves at times this year, their form was poor early and their discipline has been costly, still their axing is unprecedented and has others wondering about their own futures.
“We'll have to sit down and talk to the coaches and some of the boys and see what's gonna happen, because if someone whose played that many games can get cut, then who knows what's going to happen,” says fullback Cory Jane.
Jane's joined by Hosea Gear and Piri Weepu as All Blacks who are coming off contract.
“We've had a couple of conversations. I won't go too far into it I guess at this stage the ball's in their court but the conversations are pretty positive,” Weepu says.
Hammett says he wants to keep all three. That's not the case for Hore though and no other New Zealand franchise seems to want him, so he may return to the family farm in central Otago. As for Nonu, he's expected to join the Chiefs, who will be coached by his old Wellington mentor Dave Rennie. His soon to be old team mates are wary of what they could face.
The Chiefs will see what Nonu can offer first hand on Friday night, despite being dumped he and Hore have been named to play.
3 News
source: newshub archive
