S5, R7: Hurricanes vs. Vikings - Completed

Preview: In what is turning into a bitter rivalry following the defection of Kelvin Fung in the offseason, the Hurricanes host the Vikings and what is surely a must-win game for the Hurricanes if they still harbour any hopes of making the business end of the season.

As such, it is to the disappointment of the home fans and neutrals alike that the Hurricanes have a number of significant injuries to wrestle with. Chad Dyer, a player with a growing reputation has been sidelined which forces a back line reshuffle with Ed Ames returning to first-five and Zohaib Ikram making a start at second-five. Alistair Son has also been forced to watch the game from the physio's bench and although the full back hasn't been in great form, this has forced the Hurricanes into starting rookie full back Maroon Faithful who has been hidden to some extent on the wing and Chris Warrington - a player who has rapidly become a jack-of-all-trades due to his regular shifts around the back line - has to start at full back. To add to the disarray, League Lover is out for the match and the Hurricanes depth in the back row was already light. Amiya Shreyas gets a start and a number of new names hit the Hurricanes bench.

For the Vikings, their injury problems have been left in last week. They welcome back Andrew James and Steve Cambridge for this important fixture. The Vikings field their first choice line up, and it's hard to see that the Hurricanes will keep the Vikings at bay given their make-shift set up.

The Hurricanes coach will no doubt have been working on some plays in the build up to this game, but the key will be whether this back line has developed the required communication over this time.

Prediction: It's hard to see anything other than a Vikings win here. The Hurricanes pack looks weak and the back line is likely to be a shambles. I'll stick my neck out and go for a bonus point to the Vikings: Hurricanes 10 - 32 Vikings.

 

Why swap Warrington and MF?

 

Poor players are much more likely to be found out at full back, I'm guessing.

 

Reagan Wheelson to lead the pack, IMO.

 

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