The Hurricanes and the Chiefs have played each other 38 times in Super Rugby since 1996, the Canes have won 21 matches, losing 15 times, while drawing twice.
The Hurricanes have won 14 Super Rugby games at home, losing six times in those 20 contests.
- The Chiefs have not won a game this season, in fact, they’ve not won in their previous 11 Super Rugby Aotearoa matches.
- The Hurricanes are undefeated in their last six Super Rugby encounters with the Chiefs (W5, D1); their last defeat to them came in Round 19, 2018.
- The Chiefs’ last Super Rugby win against a New Zealand opponent came in Round 2 of the 2020 Super Rugby campaign; they have since lost 11 consecutive games against fellow New Zealand teams.
- The Hurricanes have conceded just one try in the final quarter of their games in the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, fewer than any other team in the competition.
- Du’Plessis Kirifi has won four turnovers throughout the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season, more than any other player in the competition and twice as many as any Chiefs player.
- Ardie Savea has beaten eight defenders this Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, more than any other forward in the competition.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway in Wellington, New Zealand.
2.00: The Hurricanes turn down the opportunity for three points; instead, kicking to the corner.
3.00: The decision turns out to be the wrong call because the lineout is lost; scrum to the visitors.
7.00: Brad Weber’s break takes the Chiefs to the Hurricanes’ 22, but the move ends when the scrumhalf is pinged for holding, a couple of phases later.
9.00: The home team does not find touch, allowing the visitors to come at them again. Damian McKenzie is playing a lot at first receiver as the Chiefs look for some inspiration in attack. Nothing comes of the attack after another penalty is conceded at the breakdown inside the opposition’s 22.
11.00: TRY! Jordie Barrett is also joining the fray at first receiver, the second time the fullback touches the ball during the attack, he breaks the line. Barrett slipped Anton Lienert-Brown’s tackle and raced from midfield to the 22. He sucked-in McKenzie before sending Luke Campbell away. 5-0
12.00: CONVERSION! Barrett adds the extras off the post. 7-0
14.00: TRY! The Chiefs hit back immediately through first-five Kaleb Trask after taking Samisoni Taukei’aho’s sublime offload to score under the sticks. Taukei’aho’s midfield break and run was something out of the backline playbook. 7-5
15.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie levels. 7-7
16.00: We have a cracker in Wellington. Both teams looking to go wide at every opportunity.
16.00: TRY! Ricky Riccitelli charges down the touchline, shaking off Trask and McKenzie’s tackles to dot down in the corner. The hooker’s try came from quick-ball at the breakdown, and Ngani Laumape’s deft-times run and pass from a switch in midfield to suck in the defenders. 12-7
18.00: MISS! Barrett shaves the lefthand post. 12-7
21.00: Good defending by the hosts, who won their third penalty at the ruck near their 22.
22.00: TRY! A mistake from Trask, who drops a high ball, leads to Salesi Rayasi’s try in the corner. McKenzie could not clean up the rolling ball, the ball was turned over before Ngani Laumape, who saw Rayasi alone on the sideline, kicked a crossfield kick to the winger. Rayasi caught the ball, stood strong in the tackle, and powered over the line. 17-7
23.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good from Barrett. 19-7
26.00: It’s taken nearly half-an-hour for the Canes’ first scrum of the game. A mistake by Orbyn Leger, who kicks the ball out over the dead-ball line sees the Chiefs get the put-in to the following attacking scrum.
29.00: Laumape is having a game! The centre has been sublime, setting up Riccitelli and Rayasi’s scores, and solid in defence, making four tackles.
31.00: Another promising Chiefs’ attack ends with some shoddy handling; they cannot finish off any attacks because of poor passing and catching as well as ill-discipline at the breakdowns.
33.00: Riccitelli’s second midfield line-break takes the home team into the opposition’s half. The ball is switched to Leger, who grubbers a well-times kick to the 22 that McKenzie carries into touch. The hosts have the attacking lineout.
34.00: A penalty goes against Aiden Ross in the maul; Barrett kicks to the corner.
35.00: The Chiefs win the turnover after Reed Prinsep is isolated near the line; however, the visitors try to run the ball out of their 22 and end up giving a penalty away inside their 22. Barrett goes to the corner again.
37.00: TRY! Rayasi gets his second following a nine-phase attack near the try line. The winger comes off his wing, collects the ball, and dances through some weak tackling to bring up the bonus-point try. 24-7
39.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 26-7
41.00: NO TRY! The Chiefs are a shambles. Everything they do ends in a mistake, or the opposition scoring. A 15-phase attack goes nowhere, but the visitors have the penalty; Trask boots to the corner. Weber is held-up over the line. The Warren Gatland years have not been kind to the Waikato franchise, who look to be falling to a record 12th Super Rugby defeat in a row. 26-7
The halftime score was Hurricanes 26 Chiefs 7
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway at Sky Stadium, Wellington.
44.00: NO TRY! Held-up again by the Hurricanes, although, there were two highish tackles in the build-up. McKenzie is tackled short, he releases the ball, picks it up, and dives over the line; however, he was still on his knees. I’m not sure how we have not gone back for penalties for high tackles in the previous phases. 26-7
49.00: It’s all Canes at the minute, they are dominating every facet of this game. They have another chance with an attacking lineout on the Waikato side’s line.
52.00: Ngani Laumape is tackled around the neck when he looked certain to score. Riccitelli will throw to another attacking lineout.
53.00: The Hurricanes, instead, opt for a scrum; however, the Chiefs win the set-piece penalty after Xavier Numia collapses under pressure from Angus Ta’avao.
56.00: The Chiefs are looking good here, winning a series of penalties to set-up an attack inside the opposition’s 22.
57.00: TRY! Chase Tiatia takes McKenzie’s pass and powers over the line. 26-12
58.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 26-14
59.00: TRY! Sensational stuff from Chase Tiatia, who beats the tackles, races to the 22, swerving more before popping to a support runner. Weber, on the inside, takes the offload and races away to score. The Chiefs are back in this! 26-19
60.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie adds the extras. 26-21
64.00: Chase Tiatia has changed the game for the visitors, scoring a try, setting one up, and injecting some pace and tempo into a blunt attack.
65.00: Chiefs kick a penalty to the corner. Another penalty, this time by Riccitelli, sees the Canes concede their fifth penalty in a row. Chiefs smell blood.
66.00: TRY! Naitoa Ah Kuoi gets the ball on the line after a powerful driving maul by the visitors. What a turnaround by Clayton McMillan’s men! 26-26
68.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie puts the Chiefs in front. Wow! 26-28
70.00: MISS! Jordie Barrett pushes his kick well wide of the posts –– that is another poor miss by the fullback. 26-28
73.00: Another high tackle gives Barrett a long-range opportunity (54 metres out).
74.00: PENALTY! Barrett gives his side the lead. What a kick! 29-28
75.00: TRY! Naitoa Ah Kuoi sets up Luke Jacobson from close range after the Hurricanes botch the restart. 29-33
76.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie slots the conversion. 29-35
78.00: Jacobson wins the penalty at the ruck, that could be the ball-game. McKenzie points to the posts.
79.00: MISS! McKenzie misses the penalty, but takes his time, running the clock down. 29-35
81.00: The Chiefs have the ball after the hooter, and boot it out for their first win in Super Rugby Aotearoa! Madness!
FULL TIME
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The final score is Hurricanes 29 (26) Chiefs 35 (7)
Scorers
Hurricanes
Tries – Campbell, Riccitelli, Rayasi (2)
Pen – J. Barrett
Con – J. Barrett (3)
Drop –
Cards –
Chiefs
Tries – Trask, Tiatia, Weber, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Jacobson
Pen –
Con – McKenzie (5)
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 2: James Doleman
TMO: Glen Newman
Teams
Hurricanes
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Salesi Rayasi, 10 Orbyn Leger, 9 Luke Campbell, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Reed Prinsep, 5 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Xavier Numia
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Fraser Armstrong, 18 Tevita Mafileo, 19 Liam Mitchell, 20 Devan Flanders, 21 Jonathan Taumateine, 22 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 23 Wes Goosen
Chiefs
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Jonah Lowe, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Kaleb Trask, 9 Brad Weber (co-captain), 8 Luke Jacobson, 7 Sam Cane (co-captain), 6 Mitchell Brown, 5 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Joe Apikotoa, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Alex Nankivell, 23 Chase Tiatia
