Hurricanes lacked killer instinct
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd admitted his side lacked the killer instinct when it was needed following the loss to the Highlanders in Wellington.
The Canes had already beaten the Highlanders on two occasions during the regular season as they racked up a record of 14 wins with their attacking style helping them to the top of the table and the outright favourites tag.
"It's a massive waste of an opportunity. We've played pretty reasonable football for most of the year and probably didn't get the game going that we wanted to.
"We made too many mistakes, didn't respect the ball. Some was forced and some was unforced, so disappointing," Boyd said.
Boyd said his team never changed the approach that served them so well, instead stated they never executed well enough in the face of the relentless visitors.
"We wanted to play at tempo because we thought their legs would go at the back end of their season. But we just couldn't quite hang onto the ball.
"But we just couldn't quite hang on to the ball for enough phases to get us to the edge and start playing our game. So it was a frustrating day because we'd just get going then cough the ball up," he added.
Outgoing captain Conrad Smith admitted his team became flustered against their opponents' unpredictable style which affected their rhythm and confidence. However, he urged the fans to keep supporting the team and promised reward in the near future.
"We allowed their style to frustrate us and it's something we talked about to not let happen. I don't know what to say. It's finals footy, there are some gutted men but I'm still proud of them.
"It didn't work out tonight but we met a Highlanders side that played their best and I just take my hat off to them. They deserved to be victorious and deserve to have a good night. I'm proud of what they've done and I'm proud of the last 12 years that I've worn the swirl [Hurricanes badge]," Smith stated.
