Hurricanes edge Dunedin scrap
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The Hurricanes held off a late charge from the Highlanders to secure a 20-13 victory in Dunedin on Friday and extend their winning streak to a record five matches.
The win means the Hurricanes are the only Super Rugby side still undefeated after five rounds, confirming they are a threat under new coach Chris Boyd as they chase a maiden title.
They scored two tries to one against the in-form Highlanders, who had won their three previous matches, including victory over reigning champions the Waratahs last week.
Given the quality of the sides, the match was a dour affair that only came to life in the final 20 minutes, when the Highlanders were trailing 6-13 and scrambling for a late breakthrough.
The game started surprisingly slowly considering the attacking options available to both sides, with the Hurricanes' backline boasting no fewer than six All Blacks.
It was just 3-3 at the break after a scrappy first half as each side butchered try opportunities, with the Hurricanes held up on the line and the Highlanders penalised for obstruction.
The Hurricanes dominated territory 64 percent to 34 through the likes of powerhouse wing Julian Savea but allowed attacks to falter through handling errors and penalties.
The Hurricanes finally breached the Highlanders' line after 49 minutes, relying on solid work up the middle for prop Reggie Goodes' try rather than their trademark slick passing.
The Highlanders' only period of sustained pressure with ball in hand came in the final quarter but Hurricanes centre Ma'a Nonu was outstanding in defence.
He saved a try with one tackle then forced a turnover with another to kick-start a Hurricanes attack that led to TJ Perenara scoring the decisive try.
Lima Sopoaga hit back with a 77th-minute try to narrow the gap to seven points and give the Highlanders a consolation bonus point.
The Highlanders thought they had another try right on the siren but it was disallowed due to a forward pass in the build-up.
Man of the match: There was some big battles out on the park as the New Zealanders looked to out do each other in this World Cup year. Malakai Fekitoa went up against the cunning Conrad Smith a few times with Fekitoa edging the battle based on his intensity and energy. TJ Perenara did all he could to outdo the All Black incumbent scrumhalf Aaron Smith, although it did lead to a few poor decisions. Brad Shields looked really busy as he got through a lot of the donkey work, Ma'a Nonu's defense was immense, but over all Ben Smith looked the sharpest in an extremely scrappy game
Scorers:
For the Highlanders:
Try: Sopoaga
Con: Sopoaga
Pens: Sopoaga 2
For the Hurricanes
Tries: Goodes, Perenara
Cons: Barrett 2
Pens: Barrett 2
Yellow card: Julien Savea (Hurricanes, 78 – professional foul, offsides at the ruck)
Teams:
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Shaun Treeby, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu (co-captain), 7 Dan Pryor, 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Joe Wheeler, 4 Tom Franklin, 3 Josh Hohneck, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Brendon Edmonds.
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Daniel Leniert-Brown, 18 Pingi Tala'apitaga, 19 Mark Reddish, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Jason Emery.
Hurricanes: 15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (captain), 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Blade Thomson, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Motu Matu'u, 1 Reggie Goodes.
Replacements: 16 Brayden Mitchell, 17 Ben May, 18 Chris Eves, 19 Mark Abbott, 20 Callum Gibbins, 21 Chris Smylie, 22 Rey Lee-Lo, 23 James Marshall.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
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