The Hurricanes delivered arguably the greatest Grand Final performance in Super Rugby history, dismantling the Chiefs 60–5 in front of 34,500 fans at a sold-out Hnry Stadium to claim their second title and end a decade-long drought in devastating fashion.
Key moments
7 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Cam Roigard slings a cut-out ball to the right wing, finding Josh Moorby who steps off his right foot to beat his man and crash over for his 16th try of the season, briefly tying the all-time Super Rugby record. Ruben Love’s conversion hits the right post. (Hurricanes 5–0 Chiefs)
14 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Jordie Barrett charges through in midfield and Love stabs a grubber in behind that comes off a Chiefs defender. Roigard hacks it ahead again before Love scoops up the ricocheting ball, sprints into the 22 and steps past Liam Coombes-Fabling to score under the sticks. Love converts. (Hurricanes 12–0 Chiefs)
24 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Fehi Fineanganofo breaks the all-time Super Rugby record with his 17th try of the season. Peter Lakai carries towards the line before shifting it to Love, who fires a pass to Callum Harkin. Harkin streaks away on the edge, draws the fullback and sends it on to Fineanganofo, who strolls over untouched in the corner. Love converts from left touch. (Hurricanes 19–0 Chiefs)
30 mins – HELD UP: Ollie Norris powers over the line but referee Nic Berry rules him held up by Lakai and Harkin. The Chiefs’ best chance of the first half comes to nothing.
38 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Du’Plessis Kirifi and Devan Flanders carry hard before Barrett gets a miracle offload out the back to Harkin, who steps inside the cover defence to dive over to the right of the posts. Love converts. (Hurricanes 26–0 Chiefs)
40+2 mins – PENALTY HURRICANES: The Chiefs collapse at scrum time right as the siren sounds. Love drills a monster penalty from 50 metres, straight through the middle, to cap off a breathtaking first half. (Hurricanes 29–0 Chiefs)
Half-time: Hurricanes 29–0 Chiefs. A near-perfect opening 40 minutes from the hosts, who used the gale-force wind brilliantly to dominate territory and possession. Josh Moorby found space at will down the right edge, Asafo Aumua was dominant through the middle, and Peter Lakai was tireless around the park. Damian McKenzie endured a horror half – three restarts that handed over possession, missing touch from a penalty, a charged-down kick, and a dropped ball. The biggest half-time lead in a Super Rugby final.
44 mins – TRY HURRICANES: The scrum goes down and Roigard shifts it wide right, sending Love into space. He gets on the outside of his man and fires it to Moorby, who stands up Quinn Tupaea with a strong fend to streak away and score in the corner – his 17th try of the season, joining Fineanganofo on the all-time record. Love nails the conversion from the right sideline. (Hurricanes 36–0 Chiefs)
47 mins – HIA CHIEFS: Tupou Vaa’i cops the hip of Barrett when attempting a tackle and leaves the field for a head injury assessment, replaced by Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi.
48 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Harkin pops up at second receiver and provides soft hands to put Devan Flanders through a gap. The Japan-bound flanker storms through and dives over in the corner in his farewell Hurricanes appearance. Love’s conversion hits the crossbar. (Hurricanes 41–0 Chiefs)
53 mins – TRY HURRICANES: The Hurricanes steal possession at the lineout and Flanders wins a penalty at the ruck after McKenzie fumbles on his own 5-metre line. Aumua carries towards the line before Barrett comes charging onto a short ball off the shoulder of Warner Dearns, powering through the defence to dot down. Love converts. (Hurricanes 48–0 Chiefs)
67 mins – TRY HURRICANES: The try of the night. Lakai pierces through a gap from 40 metres out before Isaia Walker-Leawere carries hard and shifts it to Brad Shields. Love receives on the wing, launches himself spectacularly into the air, somersaults over the covering defender and somehow stays in the field of play to plant the ball down in the corner, bringing up 50 in the final. Love’s conversion hits the left post. (Hurricanes 53–0 Chiefs)
75 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The visitors finally get on the board after building phase after phase inside the red zone, ensuring they do not become the first team to be held scoreless in a Super Rugby final. Naitoa Ah Kuoi picks and goes at pace, planting the ball down on the line. The Chiefs decline the conversion. (Hurricanes 53–5 Chiefs)
78 mins – TRY HURRICANES: Moorby fields a kick and charges back, splitting the defence on a superb run, beating defenders at will. He draws two defenders 20 metres out and pops a brilliant offload away to Jone Rova, who steps inside the final man to dive over and bring up 60 in the Grand Final demolition. Love converts. (Hurricanes 60–5 Chiefs)
Full-time: Hurricanes 60–5 Chiefs
Match report
Ten years after the Hurricanes’ only previous Super Rugby championship, Wellington is once again title town. The 55-point margin is the largest in the history of Super Rugby finals, surpassing the Bulls’ 61–17 victory over the Chiefs in Pretoria in 2009, and completed what has a genuine claim to being the most dominant season any franchise has produced in the competition’s three decades. The Hurricanes scored 113 tries in 17 matches throughout 2026, a figure unmatched by any domestic rugby team in the world this year.
The conditions threatened to undermine what had been billed as a clash between the competition’s two most potent attacks. Gale-force winds in excess of 60 kilometres per hour whipped around Hnry Stadium, accompanied by driving rain at kick-off. But rather than stifle the Hurricanes, the elements became their ally. Clark Laidlaw’s side used the wind with devastating precision in the first half, pinning the Chiefs deep inside their own territory and turning every scrap of possession into points.
The Chiefs were handed a pre-match reprieve when captain Luke Jacobson passed a late fitness test, but the good news ended there. Damian McKenzie, the only player to have featured in all 240 minutes of the previous three Grand Finals, endured a torrid opening 40 minutes. Three of his restarts handed possession straight back to the Hurricanes, he missed touch from a penalty, had a clearance kick charged down by Warner Dearns, and dropped the ball in open play. It was an error-riddled performance from one of the game’s most reliable operators, and the Hurricanes punished every mistake with ruthless efficiency.
Josh Moorby opened the scoring with a clinical finish in the right corner after Cam Roigard spotted space on the edge, before Ruben Love produced a moment of opportunism eight minutes later, pouncing on a deflected grubber, hacking it ahead and scooping it up to score under the posts. The player of the match contributed 25 points in all – the most by any individual in a Super Rugby final – and his early control and decision-making in treacherous conditions was the hallmark of a player ready for the highest level.
Fineanganofo’s record-breaking 17th try of the season arrived in the 24th minute after a beautifully worked move down the left edge. Lakai carried towards the defensive line before shifting the ball to Love, who fired a pass to Harkin. The fullback used his pace to create a two-on-one and Fineanganofo swan-dived over untouched in the corner to the delight of the crowd, surpassing the mark previously shared with Ben Lam and Joe Roff. Moorby would join him on 17 with his second-half double, meaning both Hurricanes wings finished the season as joint record-holders.
The Chiefs’ best chance of the first half came in the 30th minute when Norris powered over the line, only to be ruled held up by Lakai and Harkin in a moment of desperate defensive resolve. From there, the Hurricanes kicked further into gear. Harkin crossed after a miraculous Barrett offload and Love’s 50-metre penalty on the stroke of half-time completed the biggest first-half lead in a Super Rugby final at 29–0.
Any hopes of a Chiefs revival with the wind at their backs evaporated within minutes of the restart. The Hurricanes somehow looked even more dangerous playing into the conditions, their willingness to keep the ball in hand exposing a Chiefs defence that had simply run out of answers. Moorby’s second try came from a scrum, Love putting him into space before the wing backed himself to beat Tupaea one-on-one, while Flanders powered over from close range after Harkin’s soft hands put him through a gap in what proved to be a fitting farewell in his final Hurricanes appearance before a move to Japan.
Barrett’s try made it 48–0 after McKenzie fumbled under pressure deep inside his own territory, and the best try of the night arrived in the 67th minute. Lakai pierced through a gap and carried 30 metres before the ball was shifted wide, with Love launching himself into a spectacular somersault over the covering defender to plant the ball down in the corner and bring up the half-century.
Naitoa Ah Kuoi’s 75th-minute consolation spared the Chiefs the ignominy of becoming the first team to be held scoreless in a Super Rugby final, but there was still time for Rova to cap the rout. Moorby produced yet another scintillating break before popping an offload to Rova, who stepped inside the last man to bring up 60 and put the seal on one of the most remarkable performances the competition has ever witnessed.
For the Hurricanes, this was the crowning moment of a campaign Laidlaw has spent three years building towards. With a dozen players and coaches set to depart beyond this season, including Flanders, Dearns, and Walker-Leawere, the Hurricanes had to seize their moment – and they grasped it with both hands. Moorby and Fineanganofo are expected to earn maiden All Blacks call-ups when Dave Rennie names his squad on Monday, alongside loosehead Xavier Numia, after another standout campaign.
For the Chiefs, a fourth successive Grand Final defeat leaves the chokers tag firmly imprinted on Jono Gibbes’ side. Their consistency in reaching five finals in six years is admirable, but 13 years without silverware – the longest drought of any New Zealand franchise – goes on. The absence of Wallace Sititi, Lalakai Foketi, and Isaac Hutchinson robbed them of key figures, but the truth is no team in the competition could have lived with the Hurricanes in this form.
Teams
Hurricanes: 15 Callum Harkin, 14 Josh Moorby, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett (co-captain), 11 Fehi Fineanganofo, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (co-captain), 6 Devan Flanders, 5 Warner Dearns, 4 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Xavier Numia.
Replacements: 16 Jacob Devery, 17 Siale Lauaki, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Brad Shields, 20 Brayden Iose, 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Jone Rova, 23 Kini Naholo.
Chiefs: 15 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Kyle Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Kyren Taumoefolau, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Simon Parker, 7 Luke Jacobson (captain), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Sione Ahio, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Jared Proffit, 18 George Dyer, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Kaylum Boshier, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Reon Paul.
Match details
Hurricanes 60 (Tries: Josh Moorby 2, Ruben Love 2, Fehi Fineanganofo, Callum Harkin, Devan Flanders, Jordie Barrett, Jone Rova; Conversions: Ruben Love 6/9; Penalties: Ruben Love 1/1)
Chiefs 5 (Tries: Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi; Conversions: 0/0 – declined)
Half-time: 29–0
Venue: Hnry Stadium, Wellington (34,500 – sold out)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: Reuben Keane (Australia), Louis Trisley (Australia)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
What’s next
The All Blacks squad for the Nations Championship tests in New Zealand in July is expected to be announced on Monday, with several Hurricanes players in line for selection or maiden call-ups.
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