The Hurricanes beat the Highlanders 29-12 in Wellington on Saturday to hand the Dunedin-based outfit their first loss of the season. JON CARDINELLI reports.
This Kiwi derby could well have doubled as an All Blacks trial. Both sets of players approached the contest as if it was a Test match. No quarter was given at the collisions or breakdowns, and the quality of the kicking from hand, and indeed the chasing and competing in the air, was of a high standard.
In the end, the Hurricanes’ spectacular finishing in the wider channels was what set them apart.
The hosts scored the first try of the match against the run of play. Beauden Barrett collected a loose ball and then raced more than 50m to score.
The Highlanders continued to apply the pressure at the tackle point. A sustained assault on the Hurricanes’ line culminated in a try for wing Waisake Naholo in the 20th minute.
Superb finishing by Ben Lam ensured that the Hurricanes went to the break with a 12-5 lead, a handy advantage given the tight nature of the contest and the wet conditions. The wing managed to get the ball down in the left-hand corner before he was forced into touch by a couple of Highlanders’ defenders.
The visitors hit back right after the break. The Hurricanes’ first line of defence was breached, and then the cover failed to deal with a ball that had been kicked ahead. Naholo showed superior skill to collect the bouncing ball and crash over for his second try of the evening. Lima Sopoaga converted to level the scores.
The Hurricanes regained the advantage after the Highlanders impeded in the 49th minute. Fullback Jordie Barrett stepped up to nail a long-range penalty goal.
Then the Hurricanes came up with two crucial plays that all but clinched the result. Vincent Aso received the ball with the tryline in sight, and was hit hard while diving forward.
Incredibly, the replacement wing managed to place the ball down before flying into touch. Beauden Barrett’s conversion attempt was as good as Aso’s finish, and suddenly the hosts were out to a 10-point lead with 15 minutes remaining.
The Hurricanes – particularly their wings – weren’t done yet, though. Lam was caught short of the line in the 73rd minute, but showed terrific strength and determination to reach for the whitewash and score his second of the evening.
The result sees the Hurricanes overtaking the Highlanders and Chiefs and moving into second position on the New Zealand conference log.
Hurricanes – Tries: Beauden Barrett, Ben Lam (2), Vincent Aso. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (3). Penalty: Jordie Barrett.
Highlanders – Tries: Waisake Naholo (2). Conversion: Lima Sopoaga.
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 Murray Douglas, 3 Ben May, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Chris Eves.
Subs: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Fraser Armstrong, 18 Jeff To’omaga-Allen, 19 Michael Fatialofa, 20 Reed Prinsep, 21 Richard Judd, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Vince Aso.
Highlanders – 15 Ben Smith (c), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Tei Walden, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Dillon Hunt, 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Jackson Hemopo, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown.
Subs: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Siate Tokolahi, 19 Shannon Frizell, 20 Marino Mikaele Tu’u, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Matt Faddes.
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
