Hughes rolls his sleeves up again

• Author: Jared Smith
• Published date: 08 November 2021
• Publication title: Whanganui Chronicle

The biggest little man in the WRFU, the Ruapehu loosie celebrated his 50th game with the opening try, some big defence and vital turnovers, as Whanganui overcame recent rivals Thames Valley in Te Aroha on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Hughes had his first-class debut off the bench for Whanganui in 2016 and also scored a try that day in the Ranfurly Shield Challenge against Waikato in Cambridge.

A few months later, he came off the bench to secure the vital final turnover, after hounding Buller’s proven match-winner James Lash, in the Meads Cup final at Cooks Gardens, with retiring skipper Peter Rowe naming Hughes as his heir apparent in the post-match television interview.

Hughes would have to share that mantle with Border’s industrious flanker Angus Middleton for a few seasons — as coach Jason Caskey have the pick of either one of his loosies in the prestigious No7 jumper in what was often a case of “horses for courses”.

But in the last couple of seasons, Middleton’s retirement from representative rugby has seen Hughes make the jersey...