Bittersweet victory

Brilliant opening spell on Saturday by the Hurricanes before losing shape (and Smith) to get through in the end to a bonus point. I thought the Western Force played better than the score (29-5) indicated and expect them to knock off a couple of teams later on in the competition. Maybe even the Chiefs next week?

Big blow for the Hurricanes losing Conrad Smith to a broken leg for the season, plus not good news for the ABs either. Still with Tana, Ma’a and Tane in the mid-field the ‘Canes are better off than some teams in that area.

I’ve always liked Smith’s play - the perfect foil to Nonu’s style - and his intelligence and organization will be missed greatly.

Also see: New Zealand’s source for sport, rugby, cricket & league news on Stuff.co.nz: Homecoming heartache for Smith.

Oh, and it was good to see the Highlanders come through well against the Blues.