| WELLINGTON: The Wellington Hurricanes are planning to follow the example of the Iraqi army and use blazing oil field trenches as a defensive measure during their game against the Crusaders on Saturday night.
Workmen have been busy digging trenches around Wellington Stadium, which just before kick off will be filled with crude oil and set ablaze. It is hoped that the ensuing thick black smoke will provide cover for Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga to counter attack from the back, while also negating Andrew Mehrtens’ kicking game. Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper expressed optimism about the potential success of the tactic. ‘I think it's a great idea" he said. "Imagine Tana coming at you from behind a thick veil of acrid smoke. You wouldn’t even see him till he was running past you! Plus Mehrtens won’t be able to see the posts when he kicks for goal, that’ll save us a heap of points." The only flaw in the tactic is the possibility that Canterbury may also incorporate some tactics from the Iraq war into their game plan, for example strafing the Wellington squad with an Apache helicopter prior to kick off.  Umaga practicing in smokey conditions |
| Hurricanes to use oil filled trenches as defensive measure |
Tuesday, 01 April 2003 12:00
