The Hurricanes have played the Highlanders 31 times in Super Rugby since 1996, the Hurricanes winning 17 matches and losing 14.
There have been no draws between the sides. The Hurricanes have a record of winning 55% of their matches against the Highlanders.
- The Hurricanes have won three of their last four Super Rugby games against the Highlanders, although, were beaten last time out when they met in Round 16 last season.
- The Wellington side has won their last three home games against the Landers in Super Rugby, leading at half-time on each occasion.
- Each of the Highlanders’ last five Super Rugby games has been decided by a margin of seven points or fewer, picking up three wins and two losses in that span.
- John Plumtree’s men have scored five tries in the final quarter of Super Rugby games this season, more than any other team in the competition.
- The Hurricanes’ Ardie Savea has beaten 15 defenders so far this Super Rugby campaign, two more than any other player in the competition.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kickoff.
1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway in Round Four of Super Rugby at Westpac Stadium, Wellington.
2.00: An entirely new front row for the Highlanders this week and they dominate the Hurricanes. A double knock on leads to another scrum to the visitors.
3.00: Aaron Smith clears, but this time, the Canes’ front row gets the better of the set piece.
5.00: The Canes don’t kick for poles after winning a penalty, but after several phases, the hosts lose the ball forward when Chris Eves knocks on.
7.00: The Highlanders are under some early pressure, camped in their 22, but the game has started with some handling errors, killing most attacks.
9.00: Tevita Li breaks into the Hurricanes’ half, but another knock on kills a promising attack.
10.00: Josh Dickson loses the ball at the base of the ruck, halting another attack, this time on the Canes’ 5m.
11.00: TRY! Aaron Smith tackles Ardie Savea. The scrumhalf tackles the number eight, gets up and back around the ruck, wins the turnover and dots down from close range. Bizarre score. 0-5
12.00: MISS! Josh Ioane’s conversion attempt is not successful, but his team leads. 0-5
14.00: The visitors are still giving away too many penalties; however, they are shutting down the home team’s areas of attack in the ruck.
17.00: Highlanders win a free-kick and clear down the field. The ball is returned and the Otago side wins the maul-turnover.
18.00: Scrum to the Highlanders.
21.00: Highlanders are starting to get a foothold despite being in the lead.
23.00: The visitors are winning penalties at the maul and breakdown, flooding both.
24.00: Ioane calls for the tee after another penalty.
26.00: MISS! He’s pulled his kick away to the left. 0-5
27.00: Jackson Hemopo is pinged for not releasing. Beauden Barrett kicks into the Highlanders’ half.
27.00: TRY! It’s that man Ngani Laumape under the posts after Liam Mitchell’s run. The lock took TJ Perenara’s pass and showed some legs as he burst into the Highlanders’ 22 before popping on his inside to Laumape, who dragged Ben Smith over the whitewash with him. 5-all
28.00: CONVERSION! Beauden Barrett adds the extras and gives the Canes the lead. 7-5
30.00: Dane Coles is not supporting his own body-weight, losing his footing and rightly getting penalised.
32.00: PENALTY! Ioane makes no mistake, this time. 7-8
33.00: Ben Lam, who has not seen much of the ball, loses the pill in the act of grounding.
34.00: The Highlanders win the resulting scrum, and are awarded a penalty because Ayden Johnstone collapses the set piece.
36.00: Li knocks on; he would have gone all the way. Ioane kicked another wobbler into the hands of Barrett. The ball is swung to the right where Li, whose eyes lit up, missed a beat.
38.00: Another missed opportunity for the hosts. This time Lam cannot take a misplaced pass from Matt Proctor and the chance is lost into touch. The visitors have been good, tonight. They have held off the Hurricanes’ attack and find themselves leading despite having few chances, themselves.
40.00: TRY! Laumape at the double! Lomax drives forward. Aaron Smith plays Ioane, who cannot find touch with another poor clearance. Beauden Barrett gathers, looks up and sees the space in the wide channel. The first-five kicks a pin-point cross-kick into Laumape’s hands and the centre is in for another five-pointer. 12-8
41.00: CONVERSION! Beauden Barrett, with the help of Perenara’s finger to hold the ball on the tee, adds the two.
The halftime score was Hurricanes 14 Highlanders 8
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway at the Cake Tin.
42.00: Jordie Barrett is shoulder-charged into touch by Li, but the Hurricanes win a penalty for offsides. Beauden calls for the tee but hands the ball to brother Jordie, who promptly lines the ball up and tells Beauden that he doesn’t fancy it from 45 metres.
44.00: MISS! Beauden Barrett’s penalty falls short. 14-8
46.00: The Barretts link up again, this time Beauden’s chip-kick, under pressure, is gathered by Jordie, but he cannot find a support runner and the opportunity goes begging.
48.00: Du’Plessis Kirifi snaps up the loose ball. Beauden Barrett almost gets through a gap, but he’s taken down by Sio Tomkinson, the ball goes forward and another opportunity is squandered.
49.00: Laumape has made 11 runs and busted five tackles on his way to two more scores. The Canes have made 45 tackles to 75, 304 kick metres to 102 and put together 4 series’ of seven or more phases to the Landers’ one.
51.00: TRY! Tomkinson intercepts Beauden Barrett’s hesitant pass and cruises over from inside the Canes’ 22 for a gift of a five-pointer. 14-13
52.00: CONVERSION! Ioane can’t miss from there. 14-15
54.00: Both teams are dicing with death. Vaea Fifita almost gets an intercept, but he loses the ball forward, saving Marty Banks’ blushes.
56.00: Oh dear, Banks puts a penalty over the dead-ball line, giving away a good attacking chance.
57.00: Damon Murphy doesn’t go to his pocket for a high tackle. Thomas Umaga-Jensen is getting checked. On comes the main man, Waisake Naholo for the visitors. Banks gets his penalty kick, spot on, this time.
59.00: That’s the second penalty in quick succession against Coles’ team for offsides. Banks goes to the corner, once again. The Hurricanes are under the cosh.
60.00: TRY! Liam Coltman gets the reward after a powerful driving maul. Aaron Smith whipped up the forwards in a frenzy and they powered over. The Canes had no chance. The Highlanders’ tight five have been magnificent, tonight and they get their reward. 14-22
60.00: CONVERSION! Banks slots the kick, extending his side’s lead to eight. 14-22
62.00: The Canes win a penalty for offsides; Barrett calls for the tee.
64.00: PENALTY! No mistake from in front by Beauden Barrett, reducing the deficit to five. 17-22
66.00: The Highlanders are back inside the Hurricanes’ 22, going forward metre by metre. Josh Dickson loses the ball forward, killing the patient build-up and scoring opportunity.
68.00: The Highlanders’ pack has really asserted their authority in the second half; however, they give away a penalty for collapsing.
70.00: The Highlanders’ front row is again pinged for collapsing, and now the Canes are inside their 22.
71.00: TRY! Easy as you like. Lam strolls over in the corner after Jordie Barrett and Chase Tiatia combined in midfield to send the winger away. 22-all
72.00: MISS! Beauden Barrett cannot add the extras. The game is tied. 22-all
75.00: Naholo with a couple of big runs, releases to Ben Smith. Aaron Mauger’s men are on the march.
77.00: Ardie Savea has saved the day with another big turnover; he’s been immense at the breakdown, tonight for Plumtree’s side.
80.00: The hooter sounds with the Hurricanes on the attack. The hosts are awarded a last-gasp penalty for hands in the ruck. The kick is in front from 23 metres out.
82.00: PENALTY! Beauden Barrett wins the game for his side. 25-22
FULL TIME
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The final score is Hurricanes 25 (14) Highlanders 22 (8)
Scorers
Hurricanes
Tries – Laumape (2), Lam
Pen – B. Barrett (2)
Con – B. Barrett (2)
Drop –
Cards –
Highlanders
Tries – A. Smith, Tomkinson, Coltman
Pen – J. Ioane
Con – J’ Ioane, Banks
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Damon Murphy
Assistant Ref 1: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 2: Nick Hogan
TMO: Shane McDermott
Teams
Hurricanes: 15 Chase Tiatia, 14 Jordie Barrett, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Thomas Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Liam Mitchell, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Jeff To’omaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles (captain), 1 Chris Eves.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Fraser Armstrong, 18 Ben May, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Reed Prinsep, 21 Richard Judd, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Vince Aso.
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Richard Buckman, 13 Sio Tomkinson, 12 Thomas Umaga-Jensen, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock (co-captain), 7 James Lentjes, 6 Jackson Hemopo, 5 Pari Pari Parkinson, 4 Josh Dickson, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Ayden Johnstone.
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19 Tom Franklin, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Waisake Naholo.
