The Hurricanes continued their decade-long dominance over the Waratahs with a ruthless 57-12 victory at Sky Stadium in Wellington, as winger Kini Naholo marked his return to form with a spectacular hat-trick of tries.
Key moments:
4′ – Lawson Creighton try gives Waratahs early lead (0-7)
8′ – Kini Naholo responds with first try for Hurricanes (5-7)
19′ – Naholo crosses for his second to push Hurricanes ahead (10-7)
37′ – Asafo Aumua barges over to extend lead (17-7)
39′ – Cam Roigard scores directly from restart (24-7)
44′ – Archie Saunders gets debut try for Waratahs (24-12)
52′ – Penalty try awarded to Hurricanes, Walton yellow carded (31-12)
58′ – Punivai scores after Love’s spectacular behind-the-back pass (38-12)
61′ – Brad Shields strolls over untouched (43-12)
69′ – Bailyn Sullivan capitalises on charged-down kick (50-12)
79′ – Naholo completes hat-trick with powerful finish (57-12)
In front of 9,202 spectators on a clear but blustery Wellington evening, Clark Laidlaw’s men delivered their most complete performance of the season to secure a bonus-point win that catapults them into the top six after a sluggish start to their campaign.
The Waratahs, who arrived in New Zealand buoyed by four wins from their opening five matches, were given a brutal reality check as they suffered an eighth consecutive defeat to the Hurricanes in a rivalry that has been one-sided since 2015.
The visitors actually started brightly, stunning the home crowd when fly-half Lawson Creighton sliced through to score under the posts after just four minutes. Teddy Wilson, deputising for injured captain Jake Gordon at scrum-half, took on the line beautifully before offloading to Creighton who converted his own try for a 7-0 lead.
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The jubilation was short-lived, however, as the Hurricanes responded within minutes. A slick set-piece move saw Ruben Love deliver a perfectly timed pass to Kini Naholo who strolled over untouched in the left corner. Riley Hohepa, starting at fly-half in place of the injured Harry Godfrey, couldn’t add the extras.
The Waratahs’ evening took a disastrous turn when star fullback Max Jorgensen limped off with an ankle injury after just 11 minutes, the victim of what appeared to be a hip-drop tackle. This forced a backline reshuffle with Joseph Sua’ali’i moving to fullback and Lalakai Foketi coming on at centre.
After absorbing more pressure, the Hurricanes struck again in the 19th minute. Lakai’s powerful work up front gave them a penalty advantage, allowing Love to throw a bullet pass to Naholo who finished clinically for his second try. Hohepa’s conversion attempt drifted wide once more, leaving the score at 10-7.
The match descended into a tactical kicking battle for the next 15 minutes before the Hurricanes unleashed a devastating one-two punch just before half-time. First, Asafo Aumua crashed over from close range after Naholo’s brilliant run had created the space, with Hohepa adding the conversion.
The killer blow came directly from the restart when Ngantungane Punivai gathered the kick and broke downfield. He linked with Isaia Walker-Leawere who offloaded to the supporting Cam Roigard to score under the posts. Hohepa’s conversion gave the Hurricanes a commanding 24-7 lead at the interval.
By this point, the Waratahs’ injury crisis had deepened significantly. In addition to Jorgensen, both Creighton and winger Darby Lancaster had departed for head injury assessments, forcing coach Dan McKellar to empty his bench of backline replacements before the break.
The visitors showed commendable spirit by scoring first after the restart. Joey Walton, stepping in as captain, threw a perfect pass to debutant winger Archie Saunders who finished well in the corner to bring the score to 24-12 after Tane Edmed’s conversion attempt missed.
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Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished in the 52nd minute when the Waratahs conceded a penalty try after Joey Walton illegally collapsed a driving maul near the line. The centre was shown a yellow card, leaving his team a man short for the next ten minutes.
The Hurricanes capitalised immediately on their numerical advantage. Brayden Iose broke from the restart, setting up field position before Love produced the moment of the match – an audacious 25-metre behind-the-back pass that found Punivai unmarked to stroll over. Hohepa’s successful conversion pushed the lead to 38-12.
The floodgates had well and truly opened. Brad Shields was next to cross after more devastating running from the Hurricanes forwards, followed by Bailyn Sullivan who pounced on a charged-down kick from Teddy Wilson to score under the posts.
Sua’ali’i, who had a relatively quiet match with ball in hand, did produce one moment of defensive brilliance to deny Naholo his hat-trick, bundling the winger into touch with a spectacular covering tackle.
But Naholo would not be denied, completing his treble in the 79th minute with a powerful finish in the corner, brushing aside Lancaster to put an exclamation mark on a dominant display. Love’s conversion from the touchline was the final act in a comprehensive 57-12 victory.
The win continues the Hurricanes’ revival after a mixed start to the season, with their pack particularly impressive as the loose forward trio of Du’Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai and Brayden Iose dominated the breakdown battle. Riley Hohepa grew in confidence throughout the match, suggesting he may be a viable solution at fly-half during Godfrey’s six-week injury absence.
For the Waratahs, this was a sobering experience after their promising start to the campaign. The backline injuries certainly didn’t help, but their forward pack was comprehensively outplayed, with only number eight Langi Gleeson making any significant impact with ball in hand.
The Hurricanes now turn their attention to a crucial clash against the reigning champion Blues at Eden Park next Saturday, while the injury-hit Waratahs will need to regroup quickly before hosting Moana Pasifika in Sydney.
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