WARWICK SMITH

Nehe Milner-Skudder will miss the Hurricanes clash with the Highlanders on Saturday.

The task just got tougher for the Hurricanes.

Positive notes were few?as they lost 52-10 to the Brumbies in Canberra last Friday. But if there was one player who put in a performance worthy of his reputation, it was probably fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder.

Sadly, he'll now miss the Hurricane's clash with the Highlanders on Saturday, thanks to an injury sustained against the Brumbies. Milner-Skudder bruised a leg in an awkward fall and has now failed to come through his final fitness test.

James Marshall will now run at fullback at Forsyth Barr Stadium instead, with Jason Woodward coming onto the bench.

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The absence of Milner-Skudder is cruel for the Hurricanes, who need everyone in the side to be at their best on Saturday. The defeat to the Brumbies was a bad one and the team really?need an emphatic response.

Marshall is a steady and clever player, but not that counter-attacking threat that Milner-Skudder is. Few players are.

 - Dominion Post