Piri Weepu dumped as Cooper wields axe

BY TOBY ROBSON

All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu is among five senior players to have felt the selectors' wrath as the Hurricanes look to right their season against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.

Weepu has been dropped to the bench with coach Colin Cooper making six changes to the starting side that was thumped 37-13 by the Stormers in Cape Town.

Openside flanker Scott Waldrom is out of the Super 14 squad altogether, while lock Bryn Evans, wing David Smith and prop Jacob Ellison have been relegated to the reserves.

In the backs unheralded 28-year-old Canterbury halfback Tyson Keats takes Weepu's place at halfback, Alapati Leiua moves on to the left wing for Smith and Andre Taylor replaces the injured Cory Jane at fullback.

In the pack Wellington's Jeremy Thrush gets his first start of the year at lock, Karl Lowe replaces Waldrom at openside, and John Schwalger returns at loosehead prop for an unlucky Ellison.

Cooper had warned his senior players would be held accountable for their lacklustre and ill-disciplined effort against the Stormers and has delivered on his promise.

Weepu's omission is the main talking point, the 72-cap Hurricane perhaps paying the price for some questionable option-taking in recent weeks, including running the ball from his own half in Cape Town.

Keats made a statement when he came on to score a late try against the Stormers and is a No9 in the nippy mould of Blues halfback Alby Mathewson.

Mathewson and others have been exploiting the hole that is often behind the tackle under the referee's new interpretation of the tackle this season, and Keats may be under similar instruction as the Hurricanes look for a way to get in behind defensive lines.

Thrush's return is a chance to get his career back on track after a run of injuries and poor form thwarted his rapid early rise, while Evans' demotion is likely to have been for some ineffective defensive work.

Waldrom may feel aggrieved at the constant chopping and changing in the loose forwards this season, but will admit the Stormers match was not his finest.

Leiua is thoroughly deserving of his second start on the wing, though Smith may wonder how, with five tries, the Super 14's leading tryscorer can be dropped.

The answer probably lies in weak defensive work in Cape Town where Smith was too deep in defence to snuff out the Stormers' repeated blindside attacks.

Tamati Ellison holds his place on the wing, despite a series of handling blunders, while Ma'a Nonu can count himself lucky not to have also been spelled following a string of disciplinary issues in recent weeks.

Manawatu flanker Nick Crosswell is the only player to come into the squad, replacing Waldrom as the loose forward cover in the reserves.

HOW THEY LINE UP

Hurricanes: Andre Taylor, Tamati Ellison, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Alapati Leiua, Willie Ripia, Tyson Keats, Rodney So'oialo, Karl Lowe, Victor Vito, Michael Paterson, Jeremy Thrush, Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore (c), John Schwalger. Reserves: Dane Coles, Jacob Ellison, Bryn Evans, Nick Crosswell, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, David Smith.

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