Hurricanes Dominate Waratahs With 57-12 Victory

The razzle dazzle and ruthless Hurricanes have burst the NSW Waratahs' bubble with a thumping 57-12 Super Rugby Pacific victory in Wellington. The Waratahs had high hopes of notching a first win in the New Zealand capital in a decade but will instead return home to Sydney with tails between their legs - and some huge injury concerns.

Cashing in on the first-half loss of NSW backline keys Max Jorgensen and playmaking flyhalf Lawson Creighton, the Hurricanes piled on eight tries to two at Sky Stadium on Friday night. But coach Dan McKellar will likely be far more concerned about a suspected serious ankle injury for Jorgensen than the half century of points his side leaked. The star fullback looked to fall victim to a hip-drop tackle before being escorted off the field in the 13th minute.

Creighton and winger Darby Lancaster also failed to see out the half before the Hurricanes turned a 12-point advantage into a runaway victory to jump from eighth to sixth on the ladder. After opening the scoring with an early try to Creighton, the Waratahs were still in contest, trailing by 24-12, until another big turning point 10 minutes into the second half. Stand-in skipper Joey Walton was yellow-carded for cynically trying to pull down a Hurricanes maul, prompting the referee to award the home team a penalty try and send Walton to the sin bin.

There was no coming back as the Tahs conceded 19 points for Walton's sin, the Hurricanes racing out to an insurmountable 45-12 lead, then added two more tries to rub salt into the wound. The Hurricanes recorded their biggest-ever win against the Waratahs, extending their record to eight successive victories against NSW on a night where nothing went right for the visitors.

Jorgensen has been outstanding for the Waratahs this season and is expected to be a key part of the Wallabies team to face the British and Irish Lions. His injury happened just ten minutes into the first half when the Hurricanes’ breakaway Brayden Iose completed a hip tackle on the Wallabies star.

The Waratahs had arrived in Wellington brimming with confidence after a surprise victory against the Brumbies last Saturday. Five-eighth Lawson Creighton’s converted try after just three minutes after a sniping run from Teddy Wilson ultimately was a cruel false dawn. The Waratahs endured a long, dark night in Wellington with the Hurricanes scoring nine tries with a hat trick going to devastating left winger Kini Naholo.

Naholo’s first two tries of the game were unconverted, and with a slim three-point gap, the Waratahs still had some hope of springing an upset. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii endured a difficult comeback in Wellington, making a brave try-saving tackle on the rampant Naholo.

The Waratahs were unable to gain parity against a ferociously physical Hurricanes side, frequently losing collisions and the battle at the breakdown. Prop Angus Bell and No.8 Langi Gleeson carried tirelessly, but their efforts were ruthlessly snuffed out by the Hurricanes’ defence.

With just five minutes of the second half, the Hurricanes quelled any idea of a Waratahs’ comeback with two converted tries through All Blacks hooker Asafo Aumua and halfback Cam Roigard. To their credit, NSW made a bright start to the second half with winger Archie Saunders scoring a try on his debut after Tane Edmed’s speculative grubber kick finally opened space in the Hurricanes’ miserly defence.

Ultimately, it was the last glimpse of light for the Waratahs in Wellington. Walton desperately tried to stop a rolling maul from the Hurricanes and was yellow-carded for illegally bringing it down, costing a penalty try. The Waratahs were undermanned, but their courage couldn’t be questioned.

Ultimately, it was impossible to keep the Hurricanes out with Ngatungane Punivai streaking through almost unopposed past an exhausted Taniela Tupou, who had done at least 17 minutes of overtime in Wellington. This was followed by another try by former England international Brad Shields to extend the lead to 33 points.

The Waratahs were exhausted and bereft of ideas by the time Bailyn Sullivan charged down Wilson’s box kick to bring the scoreboard up to 50 for the home team. Naholo got his hat trick with two minutes left of the game and the full-time siren finally ended the horror show, with the Waratahs brought back down to earth brutally by a ruthless Hurricanes team.

Nothing went right for the Waratahs in Wellington and Waratahs coach Dan McKellar can only hope for better against next week’s opponents in New Zealand, Moana Pasifika. The Hurricanes are set to be without first five-eighths Harry Godfrey for up to six weeks due to a lower leg injury, which sees Riley Hohepa named at 10 to take on the Waratahs.

The Hurricanes team lineup to face Waratahs included Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua, Tyrel Lomax, Caleb Delany, Zach Gallagher, Brayden Iose, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai, Cam Roigard, Riley Hohepa, Kini Naholo, Bailyn Sullivan, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Ngatungane Punivai, and Ruben Love. Replacements for the Hurricanes included Jacob Devery, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Tevita Mafileo, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Brad Shields, Jordi Viljoen, Fatafehi Fineanganofo, and Kabe Banks.