‘Hard, fast, very flashy’: Reds tackle 28-year first
Murray Wenzel |
A decade after powering the Hurricanes to a Super Rugby title, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen reckons the Wellington outfit have clicked again.
The 35-year-old former All Blacks prop will on Saturday return to face his old side for the first time since he left for London’s Wasps in 2019
It will be the Reds’ first game at Wellington’s Hnry Stadium since 2021 and the task is ominous against a team who sit on top of the ladder and have won their last 10 head-to-head battles.
The Hurricanes have not lost to any Australian team at the venue since 2015 – a 14-game streak – and have beaten the Reds in their last 11 games as hosts dating back to 1998.
“That long? Hopefully we can make history this weekend,” grinned Toomaga-Allen, who joined the Reds in 2023 after previously leaving Wasps for Ulster.
He rated the 2016 title run as his fondest memory and a seven-point loss to the Highlanders in the final a year earlier as his most harrowing.
“I’ve been thinking about this game … I’m the enemy … I’m going home but being the enemy, it’s a weird feeling,” he said.
The Reds and Hurricanes both boast 4-1 records, with the winner a chance to finish the round on top of the ladder.
Both sides’ form lines are impressive, with the Reds fresh off a historic win in Fiji and chasing five-straight wins.
The Hurricanes’ only slip came against the Drua in the second round, but they blasted out the Highlanders 50-7 last week and have scored 52 and 59 points in two of their other three wins.
“Most of their senior players were younger players when I was there,” Toomaga-Allen said.
“Their DNA … hard and fast and very flashy and historically they’ve been great on paper, now they’ve come into fruition.”
The Reds will welcome back captain Fraser McReight, who was rested against the Drua, while Wallabies No.10 Tom Lynagh will come off the bench for his first minutes of the season.
AAP