The Hurricanes scored seven tries to beat the Sunwolves 43-15 in Wellington on Friday. MARIETTE ADAMS reports.
While this wasn’t in the same league as the 83-17 thrashing the Hurricanes inflicted on the Sunwolves in round one last year, the result remained the same with the hosts securing maximum log points.
To be fair to the Sunwolves, it was an evenly contested affair. They attacked the Hurricanes’ tryline more than their opponents did theirs, but what cost the visitors was an inability to follow through and convert those opportunities into points.
The Hurricanes started rather tentatively, but in the third minute, centre Vince Aso thought he had scored after a patient seven-phase attack. However, the try was ruled out because of a forward pass in the lead-up.
Sunwolves captain Lappies Labuschagne then went over to score the first try of the game after a few horrible minutes for Ardie Savea. The flank conceded the initial penalty that got the Japanese side close to the line and was at fault for the try as Labuschagne used a big right-hand fend to swat away his opposite number.
The Canes responded with a converted try from Julian Savea, before flyhalf Hayden Parker put the visitors back in front with a successful penalty kick.
However, it was a temporary reprieve for the minnows, as scrumhalf Finlay Christie ran a perfect inside support line to take an offload from Beauden Barrett to score a try.
And they consolidated that advantage on the stroke of half-time when No 8 Reed Prinsep had a free run from the back of an attacking scrum to dot down.
The Hurricanes started the second half like they ended the first as Jordie Barrett scored a brilliant individual try. Soon, Aso was in again, only to have his second attempt disallowed because of a dangerous cleanout by Ardie Savea.
Excellent ball protection and retention saw the Sunwolves dominate territory and possession for the best part of the second half as they camped inside the opposition’s half. But the Hurricanes’ equally excellent defence held firm. And although the visitors did manage to score a great try through wing Kenki Fukuoka to briefly eliminate the hosts’ bonus point, a flurry of tries in the last seven minutes ensured the hosts got the desired result.
It was third time lucky for Aso, who profited from a strong run by Julian Savea to score. The centre then provided the final pass to captain Brad Shields for another try, before completing his brace.
Hurricanes – Tries: Julian Savea, Finlay Christie, Reed Prinsep, Jordie Barrett, Vince Aso (2), Brad Shields. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (3), Jordie Barrett.
Sunwolves – Tries: Lappies Labuschagne, Kenki Fukuoka. Conversion: Hayden Parker. Penalty: Parker.
Hurricanes – 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Vince Aso, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Brad Shields (c), 7 Ardie Savea/Sam Henwood, 6 Reed Prinsep, 5 Murray Douglas, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Ben May, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith.
Subs: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 19 Sam Lousi, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Nehe Milner-Skudder.
Sunwolves – 15 William Tupou, 14 Hosea Saumaki, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Michael Little, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Hayden Parker, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Kazuki Himeno, 7 Pieter Labuschagne (c), 6 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 James Moore, 3 Jiwon Koo, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Craig Millar.
Subs: 16 Jaba Bregvadze, 17 Shintato Ishihara, 18 Nikoloz Khatiashvili, 19 Wimpie van der Walt, 20 Edward Quirk, 21 Yutaka Nagare, 22 Yo Tamura, 23 Semisi Masirewa.
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
