Super 14 news worth the wait for Turbo's trio

BEN CURRAN/ Manawatu Standard

THE TURBO'S TRIO: Manawatu's new Hurricanes during the squad's assembly at FMG Stadium - Andre Taylor, Aaron Cruden and Nick Crosswell.

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A long walk with his dog was how Manawatu's Nick Crosswell broke up a nerve-racking day on Tuesday.

Players in contention for Super 14 contracts were told to stay near a phone all day.

For Turbos Crosswell and Andre Taylor, the welcome call came from Hurricanes manager Tony Ward, telling them they'd graduated from the wider training squad of a year past.

There would have been less stress on Manawatu first five-eighth Aaron Cruden. Given that his two-year deal with the Turbos was brokered by the Hurricanes, he was never going to miss out.

Crosswell said he didn't have a clue whether he would be picked. Like many of his team-mates, all he had received was a letter telling him he was in consideration.

"It made for a long day," he said.

"I'm just really happy after two years in the wider training squad to make the transition to the full squad.

"It feels like a bit of a reward for a lot of hard work."

Last year he and Taylor got to play in Hurricanes pre-season games against the Blues and the Brumbies, but that was it.

During the domestic season, Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper had told Crosswell he was going well and to keep it up.

Fortune favoured Crosswell this time, coming back from a hamstring injury that ruled him out for six weeks of the Air New Zealand Cup season to captain Manawatu in the last four games.

"I needed those last few games. I'm lucky it came right in time."

Taylor's stupendous final 30 minutes against North Harbour must have promoted his cause. He too was nervous until the call came.

"I wasn't expecting too much," he said. "I had a pretty quiet middle of the season and a good start."

He's looking forward to having the high-quality Hurricanes around him but hasn't decided where he will be playing next year, until a decision on the competition is made next month. He has had talks with Hawke's Bay.

"I'm leaving my options open; whatever pops up."

With top-class wings thin on the ground, Manawatu coach Dave Rennie wasn't surprised Taylor got the nod. "In the coming years, he will be a very good player. At the start of the year he did a lot of good things, offloaded a lot of passes we scored off."

Cooper said Taylor gave the Hurricanes cover at wing and fullback after the departure of Zac Guildford to the Crusaders.

Rennie said it was fantastic that Manawatu had three men in the Hurricanes and that Taylor's explosion against North Harbour exposed what he could do.

The news was not so good for fellow Turbos Brent Thompson and Johnny Leota.

Thompson was holidaying in Queensland this week, and while hoping for a call, he said: "It doesn't look like I'm going to make it."

Rennie said Thompson, Manawatu's player of the year, was better than many of the loose forwards picked for other teams.

- © Fairfax NZ News