47 under 18 players have been selected to assemble in Palmerston North next month for the 2021 edition of the Hurricanes U18 Development Camp. 

Representing 14 different secondary schools and 3 clubs from the Hurricanes region, as well as 2 players from out of the region who have been contacted in for 2022.  

Hurricanes Recruitment and Development Manager Darren Larsen said he was looking forward to working with emerging talent and providing them with an opportunity to grow within the Hurricanes environment.  

“The purpose of the camp is to accelerate the development of the identified player, and to get them into a high-performance environment.” 

Planning for the camp, which runs from October 11-16, is well underway and this year promises to provide players with a comprehensive rugby and learning experience. Players will not only gain key insights into a high-performance environment - including goal setting, nutrition, fitness and mental skills - but they’ll learn what it means to experience a real Hurricanes working week. 

“The other coaches and I came together to talk about what the camp will look like and what we can achieve, and we made a few changes this year to align it to a full working week which is pretty exciting,” said Larsen.    

Larsen said that hosting the camp during off-season offered an incredible opportunity for those selected to work directly with the Hurricanes coaching team. 

“In previous years the camp has been held during the Hurricanes season, so even though we’d always have coaches there, it would be for a morning or an afternoon on their day off. Whereas this time, we’re out of Hurricanes season, so to have the entire coaching team to be fully engaged for the whole week is hugely exciting.”   

Hurricanes Head Coach, Jason Holland, echoed Larsen’s comments.  

“The majority of the Hurricanes management and coaching team are available and looking forward to spending the whole week in camp connecting and working with the boys,” said Holland. 

“There is some incredible talent in our region and this will be a great chance for these players to grow themselves and their game.” 

“This will be a brilliant opportunity to learn and understand what a week in the shoes of a Super Rugby player looks like and the hard work, fun and expectations that go with it.” 

At the conclusion of the camp, two Hurricanes Under 18s teams will play the Chiefs Under 18 sides on Friday, October 15 in Taupo.  

The 2021 Hurricanes U18 Coaching & Resource Group: 

Jason Holland, Head Coach (Attack) 

Chris Gibbes, Assistant Coach (Set piece, breakdown) 

Cory Jane, Assistant Coach (Defence) 

Tyler Bleyendaal, Assistant Coach (Attack & skills)  

Darren Larsen, Hurricanes Recruitment and Development Manager / Coach 

Matt Higgins, Hurricanes Strength & Conditioning Coach & Nutritionist 

Luke Rowe, Hurricanes Mental Skills Coach 

Arden David-Perrot, Personal Development Manager 

Academy Managers: 

Jason Shoemark (Hawkes Bay)     

Rick Whatarau (Wellington) 

Eneliko Fa'atau (Manawatu) 

Selected Players: