The Chiefs dug deep to secure a 24–14 victory over the Western Force in wet conditions at HBF Park, with Samisoni Taukei’aho’s try proving decisive as the visitors held on despite a late yellow card.

Key moments

22 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs hammer away at the Force line for 26 phases before opting for a scrum 5m out. Xavier Roe goes right as Josh Jacomb finds Damian McKenzie, stopped metres short. Emoni Narawa has a dart before they swing left, and Roe finds Luke Jacobson on the short ball. The captain charges over the line. McKenzie converts. (Force 0–7)

31 mins – TRY FORCE: Against the run of play, Ben Donaldson puts up a bomb and George Bridge rises high to claim it, somehow offloading back off his elbow to Max Burey, who races in untouched under the posts. Donaldson converts. (Force 7–7)

39 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Josh Lord claims the lineout as Quinn Tupaea carries up the middle. The Chiefs swing it around and Jacomb breezes straight through the line, exposing miscommunication in the Force defence. No cover coming as he strolls over untouched. McKenzie converts. (Force 7–14)

Half-time: Force 7–14. The Chiefs dominated large stretches of possession early, hammering away before Jacobson crashed over. Their attacking shape clicked with McKenzie pulling the strings and Jacomb constantly testing the line. The Force showed fight through Burey’s try but consistency remained the challenge. Rain began to fall as Cyclone Narelle arrived.

49 mins – TRY FORCE: Henry Robertson goes right from the scrum as Darby Lancaster carries forward. Robertson darts from the base and is stopped 2m short. Brandon Paenga-Amosa picks and goes, stopped inches out. Jeremy Williams is the next man to have a go and he powers over near the posts. Donaldson converts. (Force 14–14)

58 mins – TRY CHIEFS: After almost eight minutes of pressure, Samipeni Finau claims at the front and the Chiefs set up the maul. The backs get involved as they pile over the line, with Samisoni Taukei’aho coming up with the ball. McKenzie converts. (Force 14–21)

64 mins – YELLOW CARD CHIEFS: Ollie Norris is sent to the bin for offside after the accumulation of penalties, with the Force hammering away at the Chiefs’ line. The Force opt for a scrum 5m out but cannot capitalise.

67 mins: Fiti Sa makes his Chiefs debut, replacing Josh Lord.

79 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: McKenzie slots from 20m out to put the result beyond doubt after the Force are caught offside. (Force 14–24)

Full-time: Force 14–24 Chiefs

Full match report to follow.

Teams

Force: 15 Max Burey, 14 Darby Lancaster, 13 George Bridge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Bayley Kuenzle, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Henry Robertson, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 5 Darcy Swain, 4 Jeremy Williams (c), 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Misinale Epenisa, 19 Lopeti Faifua, 20 Will Harris, 21 Nathan Hastie, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Divad Palu.

Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Leroy Carter, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Simon Parker, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 4 Josh Lord, 3 George Dyer, 2 Brodie McAlister, 1 Jared Proffit.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Sione Ahio, 19 Fiti Sa, 20 Kaylum Boshier, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Kyle Brown, 23 Kyren Taumoefolau.

Match details

Force 14 (Tries: Burey, Williams; Conversions: Donaldson 2/2)
Chiefs 24 (Tries: Jacobson, Jacomb, Taukei’aho; Conversions: McKenzie 3/3; Penalties: McKenzie 1/1)
Half-time: 7–14

Venue: HBF Park, Perth
Referee: Marcus Playle (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman, Ben O’Keeffe
TMO: Glenn Newman

The Blues claimed the inaugural Joeli Vidiri Memorial Trophy with a 40–15 bonus-point victory over the Fijian Drua at Eden Park, with Payton Spencer marking his first Super Rugby start with a stunning try.

Key moments

7 mins – TRY BLUES: Caleb Clarke is stopped metres short before Malachi Wrampling picks and goes at pace, spinning out of a tackle to reach out and dot down on the line. Beauden Barrett converts. (Blues 7–0)

17 mins – TRY DRUA: Ponipate Loganimasi slips a tackle on the left wing and sprints to within 10m. The forwards hammer away before Kemu Valetini releases it wide right, with Epeli Momo offloading back infield to Iliesa Droasese, stopped a metre short. Quick recycle as Etonia Waqa barges through two defenders to score. Valetini converts. (Blues 7–7)

20 mins – TRY BLUES: Bradley Slater throws for Anton Segner and the driving maul is set just 5m out. The roll comes on instantly and the Drua have no chance of slowing it down, with Slater falling over the line. Barrett converts. (Blues 14–7)

29 mins – TRY BOMBED: Kitione Salawa spills it forward with the line in sight after Ponipate Loganimasi’s break. The Drua had been playing advantage for offside and still find touch in the corner, but a certain try goes begging.

36 mins – TRY DRUA: The Drua batter away at the try line as Haereiti Hetet and Mesake Doge are stopped one metre out. Frank Lomani finds Mesake Vocevoce one off the ruck and he powers through the gap to score. Valetini’s conversion fades left. (Blues 14–12)

39 mins: Josh Beehre leaves the field for an HIA, replaced by Che Clark.

Half-time: Blues 14–12. A lively first half with both sides happy to move the ball in warm, clear conditions. The Blues looked dangerous from their maul while the Drua showed plenty of intent with ball in hand. Beauden Barrett steering things nicely for the hosts; Ponipate Loganimasi lively out wide for the visitors. With just two points in it, set up perfectly for the second half.

44 mins – PENALTY DRUA: The Blues are caught offside and Valetini slots from 42m directly in front to put the Drua ahead for the first time. (Blues 14–15)

49 mins: Frank Lomani limps from the field, replaced by Issak Fines-Leleiwasa.

51 mins – TRY BLUES: Sam Darry brings the lineout ball down and again sets the drive. The maul rolls over the line as Slater dives over for his second try. Barrett converts. (Blues 21–15)

58 mins – TRY BLUES: The driving maul comes on from the lineout, rumbling towards the 22. Barrett gets it wide at pace with Spencer drawing the winger and firing to an unmarked Codemeru Vai on the wing, who strolls over in the corner. Barrett’s conversion drifts wide. (Blues 26–15)

65 mins – TRY BLUES: Brilliant breakout! The Drua hammer away inside the Blues’ 22 before Che Clark steals the ball at the ruck. Barrett streaks away on the left wing to halfway, popping inside to Finlay Christie, who puts a perfectly weighted kick ahead. Payton Spencer leads the chase with no one at the back, showing great speed to plant it down for a stunning team try. Barrett converts. (Blues 33–15)

70 mins: Jed Melvin makes his Blues debut, replacing Wrampling.

80 mins – TRY BLUES: Christie feeds to the scrum 40m out and the Blues shift it wide left for Clarke to attack. Vai bursts into the 22 before James Mullan finds Barrett out the back. He slings a cutout ball to Spencer, who gets it on to Clarke. He turns on the afterburners and gasses the cover defence to score in the corner. Barrett converts from the sideline. (Blues 40–15)

Full-time: Blues 40–15 Fijian Drua

Full match report

The son of Blues legend Carlos scored a stunning length-of-the-field try on his first start as the hosts pulled away in the second half to extend their perfect record against the Drua.

The Blues found different ways to win again, grinding out a tight first half before pulling away with four second-half tries to claim a 40–15 bonus-point victory over the Fijian Drua at Eden Park on Saturday night.

It was fitting that the inaugural Joeli Vidiri Memorial Trophy — honouring the late Fijian winger who became a Blues legend — should be decided by a performance that mixed forward dominance with backline brilliance. Hooker Bradley Slater scored twice from the driving maul, while Payton Spencer, making his first start in place of the concussed Zarn Sullivan, announced himself with one of the tries of the season.

The Blues were eager to start amid a host of players unavailable through injury, and Malachi Wrampling got them off to a flyer after spinning out of a tackle to dot down in the seventh minute. But the Drua, motivated to end their woeful record against the Auckland franchise, answered immediately through Etonia Waqa, who barged through two defenders to level the scores.

Obstruction from the restart handed the Blues territory, and they made the Drua pay. Slater dived over from the rolling maul after Anton Segner won the lineout, restoring the seven-point lead. The maul was dominant throughout, causing problems every time the Blues found touch inside the 22.

The Drua refused to wilt. Ponipate Loganimasi was lively out wide, slipping tackles and making ground whenever he touched the ball. When Spencer fumbled a deep kick, the visitors pounced, with Mesake Vocevoce powering through from close range five minutes before half-time to cut the deficit to just two points.
The second half began with the Drua landing the first blow. Kemu Valetini slotted a penalty from 42 metres directly in front to put the visitors ahead for the first time, raising hopes of a historic first victory over the Blues. But it was as good as it got for Glen Jackson’s side.

The loss of captain Frank Lomani, who limped off with an ankle injury shortly after the restart, coincided with a shift in momentum. The Blues went back to what was working, leaning on their set piece and driving maul. Slater crashed over for his second, and from there the hosts never looked back.

Beauden Barrett, outstanding in control throughout, started to pull the strings with real freedom. He spread the ball wide and picked his moments to strike, with Codemeru Vai finishing a slick move out wide after coming off the bench.

Then came the try of the night. With the Drua hammering away inside the Blues’ 22, Che Clark — on for the injured Josh Beehre — won a crucial turnover at the ruck. Barrett streaked away down the left wing to halfway before popping inside to Finlay Christie, who put a perfectly weighted grubber into the in-goal. Spencer led the chase with no one at the back, showing great speed to plant the ball down for a stunning team try. The son of Carlos had announced himself at his father’s former kingdom.

Caleb Clarke sealed the bonus point with a try in the corner as the siren sounded, turning on the afterburners to gas the cover defence after quick hands from Barrett and Spencer combined down the left edge.

The victory keeps the Blues in touch with the Hurricanes at the top of the ladder, equal on 25 points but behind on differential after the Wellington side’s 52–14 demolition of the Reds earlier in the day. For the Drua, who sit ninth, the search for a first win over the Blues continues. They face a tough trip to Christchurch next weekend; the Blues head into a timely bye.

What’s next

The Blues have a bye in Round 8 before hosting the Hurricanes in a blockbuster top-of-the-table clash in Round 9. The Fijian Drua travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders.

Teams

Blues: 15 Payton Spencer, 14 Cole Forbes, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Taufa Funaki, 8 Malachi Wrampling, 7 Anton Segner, 6 Torian Barnes, 5 Sam Darry (c), 4 Josh Beehre, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
Replacements: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Sam Matenga, 19 Che Clark, 20 Jed Melvin, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai.

Fijian Drua: 15 Iliesa Droasese, 14 Epeli Momo, 13 Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, 12 Iosefo Namoce, 11 Ponipate Loganimasi, 10 Kemu Valetini, 9 Frank Lomani (c), 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Etonia Waqa, 5 Mesake Vocevoce, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Zuriel Togiatama, 1 Haereiti Hetet.
Replacements: 16 Mesulame Dolokoto, 17 Emosi Tuqiri, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Joseva Tamani, 20 Isoa Tuwai, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 23 Virimi Vakatawa.

Match details

Blues 40 (Tries: Wrampling, Slater 2, Vai, Spencer, Clarke; Conversions: Barrett 5/6)
Fijian Drua 15 (Tries: Waqa, Vocevoce; Conversions: Valetini 1/2; Penalties: Valetini 1)
Half-time: 14–12

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Referee: Reuben Keane (New Zealand)

Fehi Fineanganofo scored a hat-trick as the Hurricanes extended their dominance over the Queensland Reds to 11 consecutive victories with a comprehensive 52–14 win at Hnry Stadium.

Key moments

4 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Josh Moorby weaves past multiple defenders on the left and finds Billy Proctor, who dishes to Cameron Roigard to score next to the posts. Ruben Love converts. (Hurricanes 7–0)

7 mins – TRY REDS: Quick response as Louis Werchon and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips combine down the short side. Hunter Paisami and Joe Brial take carries before Jock Campbell dummies into a hole and carries one defender over in the corner. McLaughlin-Phillips converts from the touchline. (Hurricanes 7–7)

15 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Devan Flanders takes the lineout and the ball is swung quickly to Jordie Barrett, who is smashed by Filipo Daugunu but recycles quickly. Roigard fires it wide where Josh Moorby shows good strength to carry one defender over in the corner. Love’s conversion attempt expires on the shot clock. (Hurricanes 12–7)

17 mins – TRY HURRICANES: The Hurricanes are lethal on the turnover. Fraser McReight spills an offload as the rebound falls into the arms of Flanders, who sprints clear and dishes to Fehi Fineanganofo on his left shoulder. The winger streaks away to score. Love converts. (Hurricanes 19–7)

20 mins: Tevita Mafileo leaves the field for an HIA. Pasilio Tosi on in his place.

28 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Proctor takes the dropout and weaves inside the 22m. Love swings it right to Barrett, who fires a pinpoint cutout pass to Bailyn Sullivan, who takes it on the run and cruises away to score in the corner. Love’s conversion drifts wide. (Hurricanes 24–7)

34 mins – TRY DENIED: Barrett is ruled out for a try after Proctor was caught marginally offside from a deflected McLaughlin-Phillips grubber. The Reds escape.

38 mins – TRY REDS: The Reds claim the lineout as Seru Uru drops it to Werchon, who fires a pass to Paisami. He offloads in contact to Isaac Henry, who juggles and regathers before bursting through to score next to the posts. McLaughlin-Phillips converts. (Hurricanes 24–14)

Half-time: Hurricanes 24–14. The Hurricanes scored four tries to two in a free-flowing first half. Roigard was at his brilliant best, while Fineanganofo took his season tally to seven with a try off turnover. The Reds showed fight through Campbell and Henry but errors cost them dearly. Harry Wilson (Reds) and Devan Flanders (Hurricanes) failed HIAs and would not return.

44 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Du’Plessis Kirifi streams through after the Reds tap back the lineout. He flicks an offload to Asafo Aumua, who storms towards the 5m line and fires an audacious flick pass back infield to Warner Dearns, who carries one defender several metres to score out wide. Love converts. (Hurricanes 31–14)

46 mins – TRY BOMBED: Kirifi makes another clean break but his pass is knocked on by Roigard with the line open in front of him.

52 mins – TRY HURRICANES: A picture-perfect set play from the lineout as Peter Lakai engineers a brilliant short-side raid, running across field to draw in Brial before flicking inside to Fineanganofo, who powers through the hole to score out wide. Love converts. (Hurricanes 38–14)

55 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Fineanganofo completes his hat-trick! Paisami spills it in the midfield and McReight’s short pass down the blindside is intercepted by Fineanganofo, who streaks 60m untouched. Love converts. (Hurricanes 45–14)

62 mins: Tom Lynagh makes his first appearance of 2026, replacing McLaughlin-Phillips.

74 mins – TRY HURRICANES: The Hurricanes bring up the half-century via the rolling maul, with Vernon Bason driven over to the left of the posts. Love converts. (Hurricanes 52–14)

Full-time: Hurricanes 52–14 Reds

Full match report to follow.

The Hurricanes’ electric backline tore the Queensland Reds apart in a 52–14 rout at Hnry Stadium on Saturday, with winger Fehi Fineanganofo bagging his second straight hat-trick to continue a breakout campaign that has made him the hottest finisher in Super Rugby Pacific.

Fineanganofo, bound for the Newcastle Red Bulls in 2027 and now out of All Blacks contention, outscored the opposition on his own. The 23-year-old took his season tally to nine tries — level with the Brumbies’ Charlie Cale atop the competition charts — with six coming in his past two matches. For a Reds side that arrived on a four-match winning streak, it was a brutal reminder of the step up required to beat New Zealand’s best. Queensland remain winless in Wellington since 1998.

The Hurricanes looked in the mood from the opening whistle, with Fineanganofo leaping high to claim Ruben Love’s kickoff and putting the hosts on the attack immediately. Within four minutes Cameron Roigard had struck, finishing off a sweeping backline move after Josh Moorby burst through the Reds’ defensive line and found Billy Proctor, who fed the halfback to score his third try in as many games.

Jock Campbell drew the Reds level with a well-worked try in the seventh minute, dummying into a hole and carrying one defender over the line after quick hands from Harry McLaughlin-Phillips. But the response was emphatic. Moorby powered over in the corner three minutes later before Fineanganofo struck for the first time in the 18th minute, finishing a sweeping move sparked by Devan Flanders straight off the restart after a Fraser McReight handling error.

Jordie Barrett’s pinpoint cutout pass sent Bailyn Sullivan cruising away to score in the 28th minute, though the Hurricanes should have been further ahead. Barrett was denied what appeared a certain try after Proctor was ruled marginally offside when he swooped on a deflected grubber and raced 50 metres to set up his co-captain. The 14-point swing kept the Reds alive, and Isaac Henry made it count when he juggled and regathered Hunter Paisami’s offload to score just before half-time.

The second half was one-way traffic. Du’Plessis Kirifi, making his first start of the season after recovering from a calf injury, was instrumental at the breakdown and on attack. His clean break from a tapped-back lineout sparked a frenzied passage of play, with Asafo Aumua producing an audacious flick pass back infield as he was bundled into touch. Warner Dearns collected and powered over to make it 31–14.

Roigard might have had a second try, but twice he knocked on with the line open — first when Kirifi’s pass hit him behind, then when another break left him unmarked. The halfback’s day was summed up by those moments, though by then the result was beyond doubt.

Fineanganofo sealed the contest with two tries in quick succession. Peter Lakai’s no-look pass from the back of a maul sent him bursting through a hole for his second, before he intercepted McReight’s short pass down the blindside and streaked 60 metres untouched to complete the treble. Vernon Bason rounded off the scoring from a rolling maul with five minutes remaining, bringing up the Hurricanes’ fourth 50-point haul of the season and continuing a memorable month for his family — his sister Taufa earned her maiden Black Ferns call-up earlier this week.

The result pushed the Hurricanes further clear at the top of the ladder and extended their dominance over the Reds to 11 consecutive victories. For incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss, whose side were kept scoreless in the second half, it was a chastening afternoon. Both Harry Wilson and Devan Flanders failed HIAs and did not return, while Tom Lynagh was unable to make an impact in his first appearance of 2026 after replacing McLaughlin-Phillips with 18 minutes remaining.

A brutal run of fixtures awaits the Hurricanes on the other side of next weekend’s bye, with the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders and Brumbies all still to come. For now, though, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate if you are a Hurricane.

What they said

Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw was pleased with how his side finished the block before the bye, particularly the second-half defence. He praised the physicality through the middle of the field and said it was the most pleasing aspect of the performance.

Reds coach Les Kiss acknowledged his side had been beaten by the best team in the competition. He said the Hurricanes played like the best team in the comp and admitted his side were not as good as they could have been, but backed them to bounce back quickly.

What’s next

The Hurricanes have a bye in Round 8 before a marquee clash with the Blues in Wellington in Round 9. The Reds host the Western Force at Suncorp Stadium next Saturday.

Teams

Hurricanes: 15 Josh Moorby, 14 Bailyn Sullivan, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett (co-c), 11 Fehi Fineanganofo, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (co-c), 6 Devan Flanders, 5 Warner Dearns, 4 Caleb Delany, 3 Tevita Mafileo, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Xavier Numia.
Replacements: 16 Vernon Bason, 17 Siale Lauaki, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Brayden Iose, 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Lucas Cashmore, 23 Jone Rova.

Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Isaac Henry, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 9 Louis Werchon, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight (c), 6 Joe Brial, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Seru Uru, 3 Nick Bloomfield, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Richie Asiata, 17 George Blake, 18 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 19 Hamish Muller, 20 Vaiuta Latu, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Treyvon Pritchard.

Match details

Hurricanes 52 (Tries: Roigard, Moorby, Fineanganofo 3, Sullivan, Dearns, Bason; Conversions: Love 6/8)
Reds 14 (Tries: Campbell, Henry; Conversions: McLaughlin-Phillips 2/2)
Half-time: 24–14

Venue: Hnry Stadium, Wellington
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams, Mike Winter
TMO: Aaron Paterson