Hurricanes up for must-win clash against the Crusaders

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All Blacks hooker Dane Coles said the important thing was for the Hurricanes to remain positive.

It was easy to get dragged down and to lose focus and motivation, he said.

But they had a plan, and it was a case of executing that during the week while also enjoying what they were doing and remembering why they turned up to play rugby.

They were still having good spells and bad during games, and they needed to be better for longer.

Having played with many of the Crusaders for so long, he was under no illusions about where their mindsets would be ahead of Sunday's game.

"We know we're playing a wounded Crusaders team. They've got a lot of experience.

"I've played a lot of rugby with those boys, and they'll be pretty keen to fix that result.

"They'll be fired up to get a performance, so it's going to be a great battle on Sunday," he said.

Assistant coach Chris Gibbes said the side was taking a mindset to win into the game.

How they executed their plan and how they prepared to win was the challenge, he said.

"We didn't quite nail that last week [against the Blues]. Our mindset was there, but we just weren't accurate enough. We were a little bit undisciplined at times, and it cost us.

"Our mindset is, we've got to get back on the horse, and we're preparing to win at home in front of our fans."

There appeared to be clarity around what was required, but individual skills and not executing under pressure were having an impact.

While the Crusaders' loss to the Highlanders had confirmed the often-quoted line that any side could beat another on their day, the Hurricanes were also aware the Crusaders would be looking to bounce back quickly.

"They're a good side, they're going to bounce back. They're stacked full of All Blacks, they're a very good team. We're under no illusions, we've got to get this right or else if we don't, we'll be on the back end of it again.

"We're really motivated to do well and against these guys, they bring the best out of us and we just want to put a performance together," he said.

The Hurricanes take on the Crusaders at 3.35pm on Sunday at Sky Stadium. Grab your tickets HERE.