Hurricanes centre Conrad Smith says the team need to reconnect with their fans as well as play winning rugby in 2012.

The Hurricanes have lost key players Ma’a Nonu, Piri Weepu, Hosea Gear and Aaron Cruden after the troubled 2011 campaign which saw divisions between some players and new coach Mark Hammett.

A new and younger team remains and Smith, one of the remaining experienced stars, says the team have to focus on more than just victories.

“Winning is first and foremost, we never shy away from that, but to win there’s a lot you can do with the culture of a team,” the team’s new captain said.

“That’s for me something I’d love to work on, to gain back a bit of respect from our supporters and from media, from sponsors, and even the players themselves to be proud and love the Hurricanes.

“I love the Hurricanes and it hurts me that I sometimes play alongside guys that don’t share that love so if the end of season and everyone wants to come back and have another crack for the team, then that would be a goal of mine.”

Rookie loose forward Brad Shields, 21, predicted by many as a player to watch after a stellar season with the New Zealand under-21 team, said the team had bonded well.

“We had the luxury of having most of the players there for the pre-season, so everyone’s seen how hard everyone works for each other, and we want to get behind each other and do the best we can for the team,” he said.

“The team’s bonded really well and we’re expecting to win.

“As ourselves we want to win and we want to do it for our community and our fans.”