Josh Moorby scored four tries and Kini Naholo marked his return from a year-long ACL injury with a double off the bench as the Hurricanes crushed Moana Pasifika 50–17 at a rain-soaked North Harbour Stadium, reclaiming top spot on the Super Rugby Pacific standings with a commanding bonus-point victory.
Key moments
11 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Vernon Bason throws for Caleb Delany at the lineout. Jone Rova carries up the middle before Billy Proctor throws the long ball over for Josh Moorby, who powers over in the corner. Callum Harkin converts from the right sideline. (Moana Pasifika 0–7 Hurricanes)
22 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Ereatara Enari goes right from a scrum as Rova dishes it to Proctor, who is wrapped up but sneaks an offload to Rova, who sends Moorby into the corner for his second. Harkin cannot convert. (Moana Pasifika 0–12 Hurricanes)
29 mins – TRY HURRICANES: The Hurricanes’ driving maul proves unstoppable from a lineout 10 metres out, with Du’Plessis Kirifi powering over at the back. Harkin converts. (Moana Pasifika 0–19 Hurricanes)
31 mins – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: Moana go short from the restart and Miracle Fai’ilagi claims brilliantly. He carries into the 22 before they swing it left, with Glen Vaihu finding Tuna Tuitama on the edge to finish beautifully in the corner. William Havili cannot convert from the left sideline. (Moana Pasifika 5–19 Hurricanes)
Half-time: Moana Pasifika 5–19 Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have been clinical in wet Albany conditions, with Moorby’s double and Kirifi’s maul try giving them control. Moana have shown fight, producing two 50-22 kicks and responding through Tuitama, but execution has let them down at key moments.
47–49 mins – MOANA HELD UP: Moana hammer away inside the Hurricanes’ five after multiple penalties, with Tupou Ta’eiloa stopped inches short and the forwards held up over the line. They are eventually turned over at scrum time.
52 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Brad Shields finds Moorby on the right, who carries into the 22 before Billy Proctor flicks a lovely ball out wide for Moorby to score his third in the corner. Hat-trick complete. Harkin cannot convert. (Moana Pasifika 5–24 Hurricanes)
57 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Kini Naholo marks his return from an ACL injury. Proctor flings the long ball over the top for Naholo, who goes over in the corner for his first try back. Harkin cannot convert. (Moana Pasifika 5–29 Hurricanes)
59 mins – TRY HURRICANES: From another short restart lost by Moana, Brad Shields stabs a kick through and Naholo bursts through to chase. The bounce sits up perfectly and he scores his second. Harkin converts. (Moana Pasifika 5–36 Hurricanes)
63 mins – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: After sustained pressure near the Hurricanes’ line, Israel Leota powers over on the right edge following multiple carries. Havili cannot convert. (Moana Pasifika 10–36 Hurricanes)
67 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Bason throws for Walker-Leawere at the back of the lineout. They set up the maul before Naholo takes the short ball. Pouri Rakete-Stones has a go before Jone Rova drives over. Harkin converts. (Moana Pasifika 10–43 Hurricanes)
69 mins – TRY HURRICANES: From the restart, Naholo goes for a strong run over halfway. Siale Lauaki charges towards the 22 before Moorby sells the dummy and goes through the line himself for his fourth try of the evening. Harkin converts. (Moana Pasifika 10–50 Hurricanes)
72 mins – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: A beautiful set-piece move from Moana. Siaosi Nginingini goes left from the scrum as Faletoi Peni feeds Jackson Garden-Bachop out the back, and they go through the hands to set up Tuitama in the corner for his second. Garden-Bachop converts from the left sideline. (Moana Pasifika 17–50 Hurricanes)
Full-time: Moana Pasifika 17–50 Hurricanes
Match report
No Barrett, no Love, no Roigard, no problem. The Hurricanes continued their relentless assault on the Super Rugby Pacific standings on a sodden Auckland night, running in eight tries to overwhelm a brave but outclassed Moana Pasifika outfit playing their final match against New Zealand opposition before the franchise’s expected closure at the end of the season.
The bonus-point victory takes the Hurricanes to 45 competition points and nine wins from 11 matches, opening a five-point gap over the Chiefs and seven over the Blues heading into next week’s blockbuster top-of-the-table clash in Auckland. Even without several of their biggest names — Cam Roigard (calf), Ruben Love (ankle), Jordie Barrett (rested) and Warner Dearns — the depth of Clark Laidlaw’s squad proved overwhelming.
Moorby was the chief destroyer, crossing four times to underline his credentials as one of the most lethal finishers in the competition. The right winger benefited from the creative brilliance of centre Billy Proctor, who was responsible for three try assists with his excellent distribution, consistently opening space on the outside with his draw-and-pass game. Proctor’s class was evident throughout, and his combination with Moorby produced tries that would have graced any conditions, let alone the slippery surface at North Harbour.
The Hurricanes kept things tight early, respecting both the conditions and Moana’s physicality in the opening exchanges. “We wanted to keep it tight,” captain Kirifi told Sky Sport afterwards. “The rain’s coming down here so we just wanted to do the basics well. We knew that Moana are a big side and that first 20 is their strength, so we wanted to meet them at the front door.”
They did exactly that. After absorbing Moana’s early pressure, the visitors opened the scoring through Moorby in the 11th minute following strong build-up play, with Proctor’s long pass creating the space out wide. Moorby added his second 11 minutes later after another period of sustained pressure, with Rova and Proctor combining to put him into the corner. Kirifi then powered over at the back of a dominant rolling maul to make it 19–0, and the Hurricanes appeared to be in cruise control.
Moana Pasifika, to their immense credit, refused to fold. Captain Fai’ilagi claimed a brilliant short restart and carried into the 22, and when the ball was swept left, Tuitama darted through a broken defensive line to finish beautifully in the corner. It was a moment of genuine quality from a side playing for pride in their final weeks, and the Albany crowd roared their approval.
The hosts then enjoyed their best spell of the half, producing two superbly executed 50-22 kicks — from Peni and Vaihu respectively — to gain valuable territory deep in Hurricanes territory. But a misthrown lineout and a crucial Kirifi breakdown penalty inside his own 22 ensured the attacking opportunities went begging. Kirifi celebrated the turnover with gusto, knowing it had preserved a vital 14-point cushion heading into the sheds.
Moana emerged from the break with renewed intent and spent the opening 10 minutes of the second half camped inside the Hurricanes’ five. Tupou Ta’eiloa was stopped inches short, the forwards were held up over the line, and the home side attempted their trademark quick-tap maul without success. It was a passage that encapsulated their evening — plenty of heart but lacking the cutting edge to convert pressure into points.
The Hurricanes, by contrast, were ruthlessly efficient. A scrum penalty deep in their own territory preceded a huge clearance beyond halfway, and within minutes Proctor’s draw-and-pass had opened up the corner for Moorby to complete his hat-trick. The floodgates then opened.
Naholo’s introduction from the bench was the story within the story. The powerful winger, who had not played since suffering a serious ACL injury more than a year ago, scored two tries with his first two involvements — the first muscling his way over in the corner after Proctor’s long pass, the second pure acceleration as he won the race to a chip kick from Brad Shields. His trademark finishing power and pace were immediately evident, and he will only improve with more match fitness. Laidlaw now faces an enviable selection headache, with Naholo, Fineanganofo, Moorby and the returning Love all vying for wing berths as the playoffs approach.
Rova added the Hurricanes’ seventh, driving over from close range after a lineout maul, before Naholo sparked another break from the restart that allowed Moorby to sell a dummy and race through for his fourth. At 50–10, the contest was well and truly over.
Tuitama provided the evening’s final moment of quality with a beautifully worked try from a set-piece scrum, Garden-Bachop and Peni combining to put the winger into the corner for his second. The Albany crowd gave the home side a warm ovation at full-time — a fitting farewell in what was Moana Pasifika’s last fixture against a New Zealand opponent.
The only concern for the Hurricanes was captain Kirifi, who was substituted at half-time and was later seen icing a knee on the sideline. His availability for next week’s top-of-the-table clash against the Blues will be monitored closely. Fineanganofo, meanwhile, was kept tryless on the night and remains on 15 for the season — one short of the all-time Super Rugby single-season record of 16, shared by former Hurricane Ben Lam and Brumbies legend Joe Roff.
Match details
Moana Pasifika 17 (Tries: Tuna Tuitama 2, Israel Leota; Conversions: Jackson Garden-Bachop 1/1, William Havili 0/2)
Hurricanes 50 (Tries: Josh Moorby 4, Kini Naholo 2, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Jone Rova; Conversions: Callum Harkin 5/8)
Half-time: 5–19
Venue: North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams, Mike Winter
TMO: Aaron Paterson
Teams
Moana Pasifika: 15 Glen Vaihu, 14 Israel Leota, 13 Solomon Alaimalo, 12 Faletoi Peni, 11 Tuna Tuitama, 10 William Havili, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, 7 Semisi Paea, 6 Miracle Faiilagi (c), 5 Veikoso Poloniati, 4 Allan Craig, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Millennium Sanerivi, 1 Malakai Hala-Ngatai.
Replacements: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Abraham Pole, 18 Lolani Falevia, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Sam Tuitupou Ah-Hing, 21 Siaosi Nginingini, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Tevita Latu.
Hurricanes: 15 Callum Harkin, 14 Josh Moorby, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jone Rova, 11 Fehi Fineanganofo, 10 Lucas Cashmore, 9 Ereatara Enari, 8 Brayden Iose, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (c), 6 Brad Shields, 5 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4 Caleb Delany, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Vernon Bason, 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Siale Lauaki, 19 Hugo Plummer, 20 Devan Flanders, 21 Jordi Viljoen, 22 Bailyn Sullivan, 23 Kini Naholo.
What’s next
Moana Pasifika have the bye in Round 14 before hosting the Reds at North Harbour Stadium. The Hurricanes host the Blues next Friday night in a top-of-the-table blockbuster.
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