Hurricanes on top, Highlanders beat Waratahs
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
The Hurricanes are back on top of Super Rugby after putting away Moana Pasifika, 50-17 at a rainy North Harbour Stadium.
Four tries to Josh Moorby and back-to-back scores for returning stars Kini Naholo saw the Wellington side show their class, with Clark Laidlaw making use of the fixture to get some valuable minutes back into the legs of his returning stars.
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The sides traded early ventures in the match, but it was the Hurricanes who got on the board through Moorby, with the winger benefiting off some strong build up play to score in the tenth minute.
It was a similar passage that saw Moorby bag his second 11 minutes later, with a try to Du’Plessis Kirifi off the month just shy of the half hour mark seeing the visitors threatening to blow out.
Moana Pasifika struck back off the restart with a brilliant long-range attack seeing Tuna Tuitama bag the hosts’ first of the night, the sides heading into break with the score 19-5.
However, any hopes of a Moana Pasifika comeback were snuffed out after a promising opening ten minutes of the second half, the side having opportunities to score their second but finding themselves unable to capitalise in the slippery conditions.
When Moorby scored his third of the night off strong support play, it proved the clincher for the hosts’ momentum.
Coming on the first time since returning from an ankle injury, Kini Naholo found himself with back-to-back scores in the 56th and 57th minutes, the lead blowing out to over 30.
Moana Pasifika struck back through Israel Leota five minutes later for their first score of the evening, but it proved to be ineffective in stopping the visitors’ momentum.
Jone Rova scored his side’s seventh try four minutes later, with Moorby scoring his fourth of the night two minutes later as the Hurricanes bench flexed their muscles, the score cracking the half-century.
Tuitama would bag his second of the night inside the final ten minutes, but it proved to be purely a consolation for Moana Pasifika as the 'Canes secured their ninth win of the season, reinforcing their position at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder.
Meanwhile the Highlanders scored a 31-26 victory over the Waratahs in Dunedin.
The second-most penalised team in the competition, the Waratahs were again their own worst enemies on Saturday while slumping to a 13th consecutive defeat in clashes across the Tasman.
A bewildered Dan McKellar looked a beaten man in the Waratahs' coaching box as his side continually handed over possession and territory with dumb penalties.
The Waratahs season now relies on big wins and results going their way. They now head to Suva next round to face the Fijian Drua, before hosting the ACT Brumbies and finishing in Perth against the Western Force, who the Waratahs lost to last week in Sydney.
Even with game-breaking centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii back for his second game since a two-month stint out with a hamstring injury, the Waratahs misfired against NZ's weakest outfit who had lost seven of their previous eight matches against Australian rivals.
The Highlanders also played half an hour of the match a man down after wrecking-ball skipper Timoci Tavatavanawai was yellow-carded for a cynical challenge at the ruck and then his centre partner Jona Nareki saw red for a second-half shoulder to Jack Barrett's head.
But the writing was on the wall early for the Tahs after Jonah Lowe cashed in on some excellent footwork work from fellow Highlanders winger Caleb Tangitau to bag the first try after Suaalii rushed up out of the defensive line and missed his man in the sixth minute.
Tangitau did it all himself for the Highlanders' second try, collecting the ball from the back of a ruck and beating four NSW defenders - Angus-Scott Young, Pete Samu, Jake Gordon and Angus Blyth - to score in a hell of an opening 10 minutes for the All Blacks hopeful.
When Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens crossed, the Waratahs trailed 21-0 inside 20 minutes.
The visitors received a lifeline into the contest when the Highlanders lost Tavatavanawai and they capitalised immediately with Suaalii and Max Jorgensen combining to put Andrew Kellaway over.
But the reprieve was short-lived as Lowe nabbed his second to give the Highlanders a 28-12 lead at the break.
The Waratahs kept the Highlanders scoreless until the final minute of the second half.
But their only two tries came all too late from Apolosi Ranawai and Sid Harvey - after Harvey had dropped the ball with the line beckoning and Suaalii had one disallowed.
Highlanders 31 (Lowe, Tanigtau, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens 2 tries; Cons: Millar 4 con, one pen) NSW Waratahs 26 (Kellaway, Ranawai, Halaholo, Harvey tries: Harvey 3 con)
Hurricanes 50 (Moorby 4, Naholo 2, Kirifi, Rova tries; Harkin 5 con) Moana Pasifika 17 (Tuitama 2, Leota tries; Garden-Bachop 1 con)
