Lowe stars as Hurricanes blow away the Champs
While flooding had caused some damage in the township the previous day, the playing surface at Rugby Park was more than suitable for the Hurricanes as they ran in seven tries to four, including a hat-trick to Jonah Lowe.
At first glance, the defeat might be troubling signs if you a Crusaders fan, however not too worry coach Scott Robertson took the match as an opportunity to test 18 newcomers.
On the other hand, Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd would be pleased with his side's performance.
The Hurricanes started the match in sublime fashion. They ran in three tries and took a 17-0 lead before Crusaders finally managed to pull one back.
In the second half, the Hurricanes continued to cause havoc and took a 36-5 lead at some stage.
However, the Super Rugby titleholders scored three tries to close the gap for a more respectable scoreline.
With 17 minutes to go, Hurricanes put the final nail in the coffin for a great win.
The Scorers:
For Hurricanes:
Tries: Lowe 3, Lam, Savea, Christie, Aso.
Cons: Garden-Bachop 2, West 2
For Crusaders:
Tries: Harmon, Stratham, Faingaanuku, Mataele.
Con: Cameron.
Teams:
Hurricanes: 15 Trent Renata, 14 Jonah Lowe, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9 Jamie Booth, 8 Gareth Evans, 7 Brayden lose, 6 Brad Shields, 5 James Blackwell, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Alex Fidow, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements – from: James O'Rielly, Chris Eves, Tolu Fahamokioa, Ben May, Murray Douglas, Will Mangos, Liam Mitchell, Sam Henwood, Finlay Christie, Carlos Price, Ihaia West, Wes Goosen, Jason Emery, Vince Also, Julian Savea, Chase Tiatia, Fraser Armstrong.
Crusaders: 15 George Bridge, 14 Manasa Mataele, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 Tim Bateman (captain), 11 Jone Macilai, 10 Mike Delany, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Billy Harmon, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Quinten Strange, 4 Hamish Dalzel, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Ben Funnell, 1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth.
Replacements – from: Harrison Allan, Andrew Makalio, Reuben O’Neill, Ben Morris, Will Tucker, Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, Tom Christie, Jordan Manihera, Jack Stratton, Brett Cameron, Tima Faingaanuku, Nathan Vella, Dylan Nel, Richard Judd, Dallas McLeod, Tomas Aoake.
Referee: Brendon Pickerill
