Roigard backs halves partner Love to deliver as Hurricanes host Brumbies in qualifying final

All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard has declared his Hurricanes halves partner Ruben Love “built for the main stage” ahead of Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific qualifying final against the Brumbies in Wellington.

Roigard and Love, both 25, debuted for the Hurricanes within two games of each other in 2021 and have since developed into one of the competition’s most potent halves combinations. Roigard earned his All Blacks call-up in 2023, with Love following a year later, and the pair have driven the Hurricanes to the top seed in this season’s playoffs on the back of a high-powered attacking game.

“We came in at the same time, both were young fellas striving to be in a position where we are now. We lived together for a couple of years, so we know each other on a personal level as well, which is awesome,” Roigard told RugbyPass on Wednesday.

Roigard acknowledged that the combination took time to fully form — Love initially played at fullback before injuries disrupted their time together at nine and ten — but said the partnership has now reached its peak. “That chemistry is definitely at an all-time high, because I understand how he plays, I like to think he understands how I play, and we feed off each other. I feel like when he’s at his best, I’m at my best, and vice versa.”

His assessment of Love as a player was unambiguous. “He’s built to be a 10; just the way he communicates and dictates what’s important around the field. He’s someone who thrives under pressure and takes it upon himself to get things done for the team.”

The Hurricanes carry a difficult recent record into the fixture, having been eliminated by the Brumbies in three of the last four playoff campaigns — all three defeats coming in Canberra. The one meeting between the sides in this season’s round-robin ended in a commanding 45-12 Hurricanes victory, and Friday’s match will be played at their home ground rather than in the ACT.

Elsewhere in the qualifying finals, the Blues travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders, a fixture that would see them attempt something no visiting side has managed during the knockout stages at that venue.