At least once a year the Hurricanes squad shed their Investec Super Rugby colours and go back to their club roots.

Club Night is an evening the players look forward to, a chance to put on their club playing jerseys and trade stories over dinner after a selected match during their season.

The Hurricanes players take great pride in showing their colours and enjoy the opportunity to acknowledge those who helped them launch their senior rugby careers and ultimately propel them into the professional ranks.

This Friday night the Hurricanes players have invited their fans to share in their club pride during their match against the Stormers by wearing their club jerseys to the match at Westpac Stadium.

CAPTION: Hurricanes prop Reggie Goodes makes a tackle for his club side Poneke Football Club during a match against Wainuiomata in Wellington. PHOTO: Getty Sport

Before Beauden Barrett was tearing up Super Rugby in the Hurricanes black and yellow strip he was proudly wearing the green and white of his Coastal Club side in Taranaki.

He spoke this week of a connection that went back to his childhood as he stood on the sideline at club training watching his father Kevin and first five Mark Davis, a player he would later learn valuable lessons from as he entered the senior ranks.

Hurricanes wing Julian Savea had a similar tale of being inspired by his uncle Lui Aukuso and cousin Paulo Aukuso as he made his way into the senior grades at Oriental Rongotai in Wellington.

Savea fondly remembered a match where he was "a little smaller, and a bit scared" at the prospects of tackling the opposition first five, who was "built like a bus".

With some gentle encouragement from uncle Lui, Savea made his tackles and still remembers looking over at the sideline to proudly say "I told you so" to his mentor.

They are stories that bring a smile to Hurricanes general manager of high performance Chris Stirling's face.

Club rugby, he says, keeps players grounded, reminds them where they came from, and teaches intangibles that can't be learned anywhere else.

"They are very privileged as professionals in terms of everything being provided for them to be able to perform," he said. "In club land you all chip in, you all muck in together and the successful club and successful teams within a club are the sum total of the group."

CAPTION: Before tasting success with the Hurricanes as Investec Super Rugby champion in 2016, Victor Vito learned plenty of life and rugby lessons with his club side Marist St Pats. He's pictured here holding aloft the Swindale Shield. PHOTO: Getty Sport

"It's about putting the goal post pads out, it's about sweeping the changing rooms out, it's about going up and meeting the supporters in the bar afterwards and going back the next day to help with the clean-up," Stirling said.

"Those are life skills these young men need to experience and need to lear. Things can come easy when you come into an environment like professional rugby where everything is provided and players can lose their way."

Stirling acknowledges that for some players the elevation from schoolboy star to the professional ranks can be rapid, but he makes no secret that talented young players are better off getting a taste of club rugby.

"There is no doubt the ideal development pathway for an elite college level player is to come out and play club rugby first before playing provincial or Super Rugby.

"Sometimes that doesn't happen, but that intro to club rugby is really key to forming a solid foundation for players, so when they do progress to Mitre 10 Cup or Super Rugby, they have that experience to fall back on.

"They can call on the learning they've had. It may be only a brief club window, but it will provide valuable development."

Many of the Hurricanes most successful players, the likes of 100-game legends like Jeremy Thrush and Ma'a Nonu played club rugby at every opportunity during their Super Rugby careers. The late Jerry Collins was perhaps the most vocal of all about his passion for his club, Northern United.

CAPTION: Hurricanes lock Jeremy Thrush played more than 100 Super Rugby matches, but always found time for his club Hutt Old Boys Marist. PHOTO: Getty Sport

And valued too by the Hurricanes, who send non-selected players back to their clubs on a weekly basis during the Super Rugby season.

"Not only are our provincial unions extremely important to us, but our clubs are also extremely important to our provincial unions," he said. "Therefore, the work we can do to help the PU's in the club space really does benefit the Hurricanes in the long term with athlete development, coach development, right through to developing professional players."

Stirling and his high performance team are no strangers to the clubs throughout the Hurricanes region and a fortnight ago spent an entire week up-skilling coaches and visiting clubs in the Poverty Bay.

"I would say pretty much all of the Hurricanes coaching staff, if we play on a Friday night, will go and watch some club rugby."

CAPTION: Jordie Barrett playing for his Canterbury club side Lincoln. PHOTO: Getty Sport

Additionally, the Hurricanes have a regional coaching programme that kicks in when Super Rugby has finished.

"Our coaching staff will be getting out into the PU's in a group and will be doing some player and coach up skilling. We will have a real presence and that will help us develop the local rugby communities in our region."

A full list of the current Hurricanes squad and the club they were affiliated with at the time of their first selection is provided below.

Reed Prinsep                          High School Old Boys (Christchurch)

Mark Abbott                           Napier Old Boys Marist (Hawke's Bay)

Pita Ahki                                Massey (North Harbour)

Leni Apisai                             Northern United (Wellington)

Vince Aso                               Ponsonby (Auckland)

Beauden Barrett                     Coastal (Taranaki)

Jordie Barrett                          Lincoln University (Canterbury)

Otere Black                             College Old Boys (Manawatu)

James Blackwell                      Petone (Wellington)

James Broadhurst                    Linwood (Canterbury)

Dane Coles                             Poneke (Wellington)

Geoffrey Cridge                       Hastings Rugby and Sports Club (Hawke's Bay)

Chris Eves                              Western Suburbs (Wellington)

Michael Fatialofa                     Ponsonby (Auckland)

Vaea Fifita                              Wellington (Wellington)

Callum Gibbins                       University (Manawatu)

Reggie Goodes                       Poneke (Wellington)

Wes Goosen                           Old Boys University (Wellington)

Toa Halafihi                            Spotswood United (Taranaki)

Cory Jane                              Upper Hutt (Wellington)

Michael Kainga                      Mt Maunganui (Bay of Plenty)

Ben Lam                               Grammar TEC (Auckland)

Ngani Laumape                     Kia Toa (Manawatu)

Sam Lousi                             Eastbourne (Wellington)

Ben May                               Te Awamutu Sports (Waikato)

Nehe Milner-Skudder             University (Manawatu)

TJ Perenara                           Northern United (Wellington)

Reed Prinsep                         Christchurch High School Old Boys (Canterbury)

Matt Proctor                          Oriental Rongotai (Wellington)

Ricky Riccitelli                        Havelock North (Hawke's Bay)

Ardie Savea                           Oriental Rongotai (Wellington)

Julian Savea                          Oriental Rongotai (Wellington)

Brad Shields                          Petone (Wellington)

Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi            New Plymouth Old Boys (Taranaki)

Blade Thomson                     Tukapa (Taranaki)

Jeffery To'omaga-Allen           Marist St Pats (Wellington)

Loni Uhila                             Hamilton Marist (Waikato)