Hurricanes

Coles is battling a niggly calf injury which kept him out of game one.

New All Black Peter Umaga-Jensen, who came off the bench in the loss to the Blues in Wellington last weekend, will start at centre this week and is the only change head coach, Jason Holland, has made to the backs.

In the forwards Isaia Walker-Leawere takes over from the injured Scott Scrafton at starting lock, Reed Prinsep replaces Vaea Fifita at blindside and Du'Plessis Kirifi starts ahead of Devon Flanders in the loose forwards.

Kirifi is at openside with captain Ardie Savea shifting to No.8.

The Hurricanes made too many mistakes, and the Blues proved adept at punishing them, as evidenced by the first try they scored after four minutes.

Flanker Dalton Papalii dotted down between the posts when he pounced on a botched pass as the Canes looked to run the ball out from inside their 22.

Otere Black added the extras, but the Hurricanes hit back two minutes later. Hooker Asafo Aumua bulldozed his way over to finish a move kick-started by second five-eighth Ngani Laumape's jinking run.

It is the first time the venue has held a Super Rugby fixture, let alone a game of three halves – in which the three squads will all get to play each other for forty minutes.

Upper Hutt Mayor, Wayne Guppy, says the fixture will not only draw fans locally but from the Wairarapa as well.

“Upper Hutt is excited to host some of New Zealand’s biggest rugby stars. We’ll be coming along to show our support at our fortress, ‘The Stone’ (Maidstone Park).”

Hurricanes CEO, Avan Lee, says that excitement is mutual.

The All Black hopeful said playing for his nation of heritage would rule him out of New Zealand selection, so the Moana Pasifika provided a unique opportunity to represent his Samoan roots without that consequence.

"I thought it would be a cool opportunity for us Polynesian people that don't get a chance to play in the All Blacks or the New Zealand Māori, to showcase our talent and to represent our countries," he said.

Marco, which strengthened to a hurricane on Sunday and is forecast to hit the Louisiana coast on Monday, will be followed by Tropical Storm Laura, now over the Dominican Republic and expected to travel across Hispaniola and Cuba and strengthen to a hurricane before striking the Gulf Coast on Thursday.

The 28-year-old South African was yellow carded by referee James Doleman for picking up and dumping Weber near the end of the first half.

Van Wyk was subsequently cited for his actions after it was alleged that he contravened Law 9.18: A player must not lift an opponent off the ground and drop or drive that player so that their head and/or upper body make contact with the ground.

Following a hearing conducted on Thursday, van Wyk pleaded guilty to the contravention and was given a three-week suspension by the three-person judicial committee.

As it currently stands Saturday's match in Dunedin will go ahead without spectators, but a move to Covid-19 alert level three would likely force it to be called off.

There's nothing riding on the outcome, with the Crusaders having already clinched the Super Rugby Aotearoa trophy, but Hurricanes co-captain Dane Coles has told media they want to play, if they can.

"We had a discussion this morning about if people did feel comfortable or not and everyone's pretty much jumped on board," Coles said.

The Hurricanes kept alive their slim chances of winning the title with the bonus-point victory and moved to 21 competition points, three behind the table-topping Crusaders, who play the Highlanders on Sunday.

The Chiefs, who lost all eight of their games in the domestic competition, will now temporarily bid farewell to coach Warren Gatland, who takes a year's absence so he can concentrate on the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa next year.

Umaga-Jensen’s midfield talents have been front and centre during Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa – after earning himself starts against the Chiefs, the Blues and the Crusaders.

The 22 year-old centre starred with a commanding performance in the Hurricanes’ upset 34-32 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch, with one try, one try assist and multiple line breaks.

In those games, he tallied 207 minutes of game time and head coach Jason Holland says he’s an exciting prospect and one to watch over the next two years.

The news comes as the Wellington-based Super Rugby side gets set to play their final home game of the year against the Chiefs at Sky Stadium on Saturday.

With four consecutive wins, including a 34 – 32 victory against the Crusaders in Christchurch, the Hurricanes are still major contenders for this year’s title.

Head coach, Jason Holland, says Barrett has been crucial to that success.