Hurricanes primed for derby clashes - Holland

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All Blacks Asafo Aumua and Dane Coles were unavailable for the Chiefs game, and starting hooker Jacob Devery suffered an upper-body injury 17 minutes into the game.

Sorting that issue is his first concern this week.

But Holland had no regrets about choosing the game to complete All Blacks' rest requirements for key players.

"We don't only need to think around our All Blacks; we think around the whole squad and how the whole squad is going, and getting a good plan for everybody throughout our squad is massive.

"We've got two derbies to go [Blues and Crusaders], possibly another three to win the whole thing.

"That's all we're thinking – how do we win the championship? I think we're in pretty good shape to have a good crack at it."

His side didn't lack significant contributions, especially from those who will fill the spaces of rested players. No8 Brayden Iose was decisive in the loose, complementing his core duties with a stunning intercept try. Former All Blacks tighthead prop Owen Franks was another who stepped for the side.

"It's frustrating because we could have gotten more out of that game. But there're lots of good signs from us, and when we get more accurate, we'll put teams away.

"The way we attacked that game, the way we competed, the way we met everything was pretty encouraging and exciting for the run-in."

Holland said he was proud of how the Hurricanes stuck to their guns and competed.

"It wasn't our effort that let us down, it was just a little bit of accuracy."

Blues v Hurricanes: Saturday 27 May, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland. TICKETS.