User:Gialloneri/Test

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[edit] Early years: 1996-97

The Hurricanes were formed in 1996 as one of five New Zealand Super 12 franchises, and were originally called the "Wellington Hurricanes". The Hurricanes region comprises the lower North Island. Its catchment area of 920,000 people is the largest in New Zealand.[1]. The teams first coach was former All Black Frank Oliver while Mark "Bull" Allen was named as captain.

The Hurricanes opened the era of professional rugby at the Palmerston North Showgrounds against the Auckland Blues, losing the match. The team performed below expectations in the inaugural year of the competition and finished ninth. In 1997 the team made the semi-finals, losing in Canberra to the ACT Brumbies. However the consistent form shown during this season would not be seen again for many years.

[edit] Expect the unexpected: 1998-2002

Following their 1997 season, the Hurricanes failed to qualify for the semi-finals until 2003. Despite this, they were still known for the attacking nature of their backline that included the All Blacks stars Tana Umaga and Christian Cullen. The team played with flair and could score at any moment, whatever their position on the field, giving rise to the teams catch cry of 'expect the unexpected. However the team struggled for consistent performances and at crunch time in matches leading to patchy form and results.

After the 1999 World Cup, Jonah Lomu's contract with the NZRU expired and he was linked to many clubs around the world; including in rugby league and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.[2] On the 23 November 1999 it was announced the winger had resigned with the NZRU and had agreed to terms with the Wellington Rugby Union, despite a reported a £1.1 million offered by Bristol.[3][2]. The move to the Wellington union meant he could be included in the protected group of players for the Hurricanes.

Hurricanes also opened 2000 with a new stadium. The highlights of that year included the victory over eventual champions, the Crusaders, 41-29, in front of a packed house. At the end of the season the 'Canes still had a mathematical chance of making the semis and only had to beat the Bulls to stay in contention. The Hurricanes played one of their worst games of the year, losing the match to one of the worst performing teams at the point in the competitions history and lost possibility of qualifying for the semi-finals. The team finished eighth on the table.

Despite the Wellington Lions (whom most of the Hurricanes squad were chosen from) winning the 2000 NPC,[4] the Hurricanes finished ninth on the final standings in 2001; one worse than the year before. Another ninth placing in 2002 resulted in Graham Mourie, who had led the team since 2000, resigning.[5]

[edit] New era: 2003-present

The Hurricanes playing the Highlanders at Westpac Stadium in 2006
The Hurricanes playing the Highlanders at Westpac Stadium in 2006

In spite of reports that Colin Cooper, the then Crusaders assistant-coach, had said he was "not yet ready to jump ship" and wanted to stay with the South Island franchise,[6] the Hurricanes were able to lure the then Taranaki coach him away from the champions and made him their head coach for the 2003 season.

Cooper, along with newly appointed captain Tana Umaga, helped to mould the inconsistent and ill-disciplined Hurricanes into one of the top teams in the competition.[7] 2003 was the beginning of a new era for the Hurricanes as they reached the semi-finals for just the second time in their history on the back of a strong seven-game winning streak mid-season.[8] Their success came partly with the breakout year for mid-fielder Ma'a Nonu, his strong performances and partnership with captain Tana Umaga pushed out former All Black Pita Alatini and saw him score six tries en route to the All Black squad.[9] The team also benefited from the steady hand of David Holwell at first five-eighth and an improving and mobile forward pack. Hurricanes stalwart Christian Cullen would leave New Zealand shores for Irish club Munster after his omission from the All Blacks 2003 World Cup squad, despite scoring eight tries during the season.[9]

All Black great Jonah Lomu was left out of the 2004 squad, due to a life-threatening illness that would eventually result in a kidney transplant, and would never again pull on the Hurricanes jersey.

2004 wasn't quite the year that the coaches, players and fans alike wanted but it laid the platform for the next year with the majority of the team being retained.[10] The Hurricanes came back in 2005 to the form that saw them make the playoffs two years prior. Former New Zealand Colt Flyhalf Jimmy Gopperth was the real "find" of the season, scoring 139 points,[11] after much fuss was made about a suitable replacement for Ireland-bound David Holwell.[12] The Hurricanes had tried their hand at getting Australian playmaker Brock James who had starred the previous NPC season for Taranaki[13] and the Blues, and young star Luke McAlister made noise about his preference of playing in Wellington.[14]. With both Daniel Carter and Aaron Mauger at the Crusaders capable of playing first five-eighth the team also made an attempt to lure Andrew Mehrtens to Wellington, without success.

2006 saw the entry of two new teams (the Bloemfontein-based Central Cheetahs from South Africa and the Perth-based Western Force from Australia) to the competition and the Super 14 was born. The Hurricanes welcomed a new captain with Rodney So'oialo stepping up after former All Black captain Tana Umaga wanted to focus more on his playing duties.[15] The Wellington-based franchise again played solidly winning all but four matches, they made their first Super rugby final losing against perennial powerhouse the Crusaders in a bizarre match played under thick fog.[16]. Following the match an incident in a nightclub involving Chris Masoe and Tana Umaga would go on to cause a stir in the media. The successful 2006 season saw the Hurricanes turn over NZ$7.44 million which resulted in a NZ$1.36millon profit.[17]

[edit] Season-by-season Results

Year Rank Pld GW GD GL PF PA +/- BP Pts Playoffs
1996 9 11 3 0 8 290 353 -63 5 17 Did not participate
1997 3 11 6 0 5 416 314 102 10 34 Semifinal: Lost 33 - 20 to ACT Brumbies
1998 8 11 5 0 6 313 342 -29 6 26 Did not participate
1999 10 11 4 1 6 213 226 -13 4 22 Did not participate
2000 8 11 6 0 5 308 329 -29 5 29 Did not participate
2001 9 11 5 0 6 291 316 -25 5 25 Did not participate
2002 9 11 5 0 6 232 317 -85 1 23 Did not participate
2003 3 11 7 0 4 324 277 47 7 35 Semifinal: Lost 39 - 16 to Crusaders
2004 11 11 4 1 6 275 303 -28 5 23 Did not participate
2005 4 11 8 0 3 281 248 33 2 34 Semifinal: Lost 47 - 7 to Crusaders
2006 2 13 10 0 3 328 226 102 7 47 Semifinal: Won 16 - 14 against Waratahs
Grand final: Lost 19 - 12 to Crusaders
2007 8 13 6 0 7 247 300 -53 3 27 Did not participate
2008 4 13 8 1 4 310 204 106 7 41 Semifinal: Lost 33 - 22 to Crusaders

[edit] References

  1. ^ NZ's largest S14 franchise. hurricanes.co.nz. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
  2. ^ a b "Chase On for All Black Lomu", bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  3. ^ "Lomu joins Hurricanes", bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  4. ^ "NPC Magic-Season Review 2000", haka.co.nz. Retrieved on 2000-12-21. 
  5. ^ "Mourie quits Hurricanes", bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  6. ^ No Tuf-Of-War over Cooper says NZRFU. rugby.com.au. Retrieved on 21 December 2006.
  7. ^ Hurricanes ride high in rankings. thefanatics.com. Retrieved on 21 December 2006.
  8. ^ short hurricanes history. hurricanes@everything.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2006.
  9. ^ a b Season Stats 2003. hurricanes.co.nz. Retrieved on 21 December 2006.
  10. ^ Consistency Of Selection in Hurricanes Squad. allblacks.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2006.
  11. ^ Season Stats 2005. hurricanes.co.nz. Retrieved on 20 December 2006.
  12. ^ Holwell heads to Leinster. ercrugby.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2006.
  13. ^ Brock James knocked back from Hurricanes. rugby.com.au. Retrieved on 20 December.
  14. ^ McAlister wants to be a Hurricane. allblacks.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2006.
  15. ^ New Hurricanes Captain. hurricanes.co.nz. Retrieved on 21 December 2006.
  16. ^ Crusaders win eerie Super 14 tournament. planetrugby.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2006.
  17. ^ Hurricanes report NZ$1.36m profit. Scrum.com. Retrieved on 22 December 2006.
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