Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has issued a stern challenge to young hooker Asafo Aumua, saying he's going to have to work to earn the starting spot for his side.
With regular hooker Dane Coles out with a ruptured ACL, Aumua and Riccitelli have been competing for the starting berth, with the promising youngster having to settle for a back-up position so far.
Speaking to media today, Boyd said that Aumua was going to have to dislodge Riccitelli, who himself has made an impressive start to the Hurricanes' campaign.
"I think Ricky's done a really good job for us," he said.
"Asafo's building into his game time nicely, but he's a young man who's played one game for the Hurricanes.
"Despite the fact he went on tour with the All Blacks, and everyone sees a lot of promise in Asafo - as we do, I think he's going to be an exceptional rugby player - Ricky Riccitelli is holding down that spot right now on merit.
"He's not going to give that up easy, and we're not going to give it to Asafo easily, he's going to have to fight for it."
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