Tana Umaga is back. The Hurricanes skipper survived 32 minutes of rugby against the Highlanders at Memorial Park in Masterton yesterday.
He looked sharp in the 28-27 win and should start in the opening Super 12 match against the Chiefs in Hamilton next Saturday.
His return is timely as the Hurricanes have fresh injury concerns with lock Paul Tito, blindside flanker Jerry Collins and halfback Jason Spice all leaving the field injured.
Tito hurt an ankle, Collins his left shoulder and Spice got a "charlie" to the inside of his left thigh.
He will be fine but Tito and Collins will need further assessment before a decision is made on whether they will be fit to play the Chiefs.
"We're hoping both will be good for next week," coach Colin Cooper said.
More encouraging was Umaga's return and the class he showed in his first hit-out since knee surgery a fortnight ago.
The All Black centre combined superbly with second five-eighth Tane Tuipulotu to create a second-half try for wing Sireli Bobo.
Centre Ma'a Nonu also made a welcome return along with No 8 Rodney So'oialo, who was impressive with the ball and on defence.
So'oialo was part of a pack that again showed that, though it may struggle in the set pieces, these forwards know how to break a game open with the ball in hand.
The set play wasn't too bad against a Highlanders pack full of All Blacks. The scrum was turned early on but improved and though the Hurricanes were thrashed in the lineout count, they were beaten only once.
That the Highlanders finished with a 25-10 lineout count was only because they got more chances to throw the ball in.
"There is a lot of strike power in this team if we can create go forward ball," Cooper said. "You can't do anything with static ball, so it's how we create go-forward ball.
"I was happy with the lineouts after the debacle last week (against the Brumbies). The scrum was also a step up we are getting there.
"We have a long way to go, but, against a Highlanders pack that I have a lot of respect for, I was pleased."
The Highlanders opened the scoring with a Tony Brown penalty and went out to a 10-3 lead when centre Seilala Mapusua ghosted through untouched.
The Highlanders went into the break leading 15-3 after Ilisea Tanivula scored out wide.
The Hurricanes had little possession but looked good when they did get the ball and created several promising chances in the first half. However, those chances went begging through poor passes or through losing the ball in the tackle.
It was a different story in the second half as the Hurricanes, with the breeze at their backs, scored four tries.
The first came soon after the break when hooker Andrew Hore was driven over from a lineout. Flanker Ben Herring scored almost from the break, and then Tuipulotu and Umaga combined to put Bobo across before Ward went over.
A series of mishaps when fullback Brent Ward let a chip kick bounce and Bobo knocked it into the in-goal allowed Highlanders wing Aisea Tuilevu to score.
Wing Hayden Pedersen's try closed the gap to 28-27 but the conversion missed and, with the boos of the 6500-strong crowd ringing in his ears, Nick Evans missed what would have been a match-winning penalty a few minutes later.
The victory delighted the crowd. It should have pleased the Hurricanes, too. The Highlanders are not mugs and yesterday's win was the sort of hard-fought result that bodes well.
Hurricanes 28 (A Hore, B Herring, S Bobo, B Ward try; D Holwell pen, con; R Flutey pen), Highlanders 27 (I Tanivula, S Mapusua, A Tuilevu, H Pedersen try; T Brown pen, 2 cons). HT, 3-15.
, With three wins from the pre season.
