Cruden adding weight to 'God-given talent'

WARWICK SMITH/ Manawatu Standard

STEPPING UP: New Hurricanes signing Aaron Cruden is hoping to add some bulk to his frame before his first season in Super 14.

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Up-and-coming first five-eighth Aaron Cruden is looking to add some weight to what his new rugby coach has described as "a God-given talent".

Cruden, 20, is set to make his Super 14 debut next season, his name included in the Hurricanes' line-up when the New Zealand squads were announced yesterday.

He knows he faces a big step up in terms of physical confrontation and pace of the game, and one of his main targets in the off-season is to add to the 79kg on his 1.78m frame.

"I think I'll probably be one of the lightest in the competition if I stay at this weight," he said.

"So I'll be getting into the gym and putting on a bit of size to handle the hits and physicality of Super 14 rugby."

Another area he wanted to work on was his goalkicking, an acknowledged weakness, and he intended picking the brains of incumbent Hurricane first five-eighth Willie Ripia.

Cruden is one of 21 newcomers in the five New Zealand squads, but his selection came as little surprise.

Having overcome testicular cancer last year, the Manawatu playmaker captained the New Zealand under-20 side to the World Cup title in Japan in June.

He went on to be named world junior player of the year, an accolade that put him in the company of the likes of Isaia Toeava, Jerome Kaino and Luke McAlister, past winners who have gone on to be All Blacks.

After an impressive Air NZ Cup campaign, his fellow players voted him the competition's best new talent.

For all that, it still came a surprise to Cruden when he got confirmation that he had made the cut for the Super 14.

"You always hope for the best but you never know what's going to happen," he said.

"I got the phone call and I was very excited. It's going to be a good season, I can tell."

Cruden said he put high expectations on himself and his initial goal when he joined up with the Hurricanes would be to put his head down and work hard.

His boyhood hero was winger Jeff Wilson, but in terms of operating as a first five-eighth, he hadn't really modelled himself on anyone.

"I just like to be my own man and put my own spin on the game," he said.

Among the first to congratulate Cruden on his Super 14 selection was Manawatu coach Dave Rennie, who was also in charge of the New Zealand under-20 side.

"He just sent me a text and said congratulations and just to be myself when I get to Wellington," Cruden said.

"There's a lot of great players there and he said don't be afraid to go down there and mix it up with them."

Meanwhile, Hurricane coach Colin Cooper said Cruden was a player the franchise couldn't ignore.

"It's a God-given talent that he has," he said.

"You couldn't look past him, really. He needed to be secured for the Hurricanes, not just for now, but for the future."

Cooper said there would be big expectations on Cruden, and the coaching staff would have to take care in how they handled that.

"It's another level up, the Super 14, it's massive intensity," he said.

"We just have to manage how we work with Aaron."