The Hurricanes produced a commanding first-half performance to set up an important 29-19 win against the Crusaders in Wellington on Saturday. JON CARDINELLI reports.
The result sees the Hurricanes claim their fifth-consecutive home win against the Crusaders. One could say that the first-half performance was a statement, as the Hurricanes out-muscled the 2017 champions at the collisions and breakdowns, and scored four tries against that renowned Crusaders defence during that period.
That said, the Crusaders hit back towards the end of the half, and in the latter stages of the second. If not for a such a poor start, the Crusaders may well have completed a comeback win.
The Hurricanes manhandled the Crusaders in the first quarter. On the back of some dominance at the tackle point, as well as an ability to force turnovers and strike from deep, the hosts went 21-0 up after 22 minutes.
The Crusaders suffered two significant losses in personnel when All Blacks centre Ryan Crotty and then captain Sam Whitelock were carried off with injuries. At that early stage, it appeared as if a comfortable bonus-point win for the Hurricanes was in the offing.
Chris Eves powered through the Crusaders defence to score the game’s first try. Jordie Barrett ran a terrific line to breach the visitors thereafter. The fullback’s speculative pass inside found TJ Perenara for the finish.
The Hurricanes then forced a turnover in their own 22, and shifted it wide to Ben Lam. The winger backed his pace from the outset, barely sparing the cover defenders a glance as he raced towards the tryline.
The Hurricanes lapsed twice in the lead-up to half-time. Manasa Mataele exposed some poor defence – Beauden Barrett and Perenara were left in the giant winger’s wake – to score the visitors’ first try. Then the Crusaders maul fired, and Mitchell Hunt’s conversion from the touchline reduced the deficit to 26-12 at the break.
REPORT: Highlanders punish Stormers
The Crusaders continued to come at the Hurricanes during the early stages of the second stanza. They eventually earned some reward when prop Michael Alaalatoa scored from close range. The successful conversion narrowed the gap to seven points with 24 minutes left to play.
Jordie Barrett stepped up to nail a long-range penalty goal in the 67th minute. The Hurricanes defence stood firm in the dying minutes to deny the Crusaders any further opportunities to score.
The Hurricanes’ inconsistent showing in the second stanza effectively cost them a try-scoring bonus point. They did do enough in the closing stages to prevent the Crusaders from claiming a losing bonus point, though. That single log point may count a great deal in the final New Zealand conference standings.
Hurricanes – Tries: Chris Eves, TJ Perenara, Ben Lam, Matt Proctor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (3); Penalty: Jordie Barrett.
Crusaders – Tries: Manasa Mataele, Jordan Taufua, Michael Alaalatoa. Conversions: Mitchell Hunt (2).
Hurricanes – 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Gareth Evans, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields (c), 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Vaea Fifita, 3 Ben May, 2 Ricky Ricciteli, 1 Chris Eves.
Subs: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Fraser Armstrong, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Michael Fatialofa, 20 Blade Thomson, 21 Richard Judd, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Vince Aso.
Crusaders – 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Mitchell Hunt, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Jordan Taufua, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Subs: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Chris King, 18 Oliver Jager, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Billy Harmon, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mike Delany, 23 Manasa Mataele.
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
