Brilliant Barrett is chief slayer
THE Hurricanes haven’t conclusively proven themselves yet, but they’ll have one more chance in 2016.
Fairly or not, the Hurricanes have always been regarded as a nearly team. Good on their day, but not so good when it’s not.
Well, for the second season in a row they’ll be Super Rugby finalists, after beating the Chiefs 25-9 in last night’s semifinal at Westpac Stadium. Win next week’s decider and the Hurricanes reputation will alter forever.
There were any number of players who played important hands in getting them past the Chiefs but it would be unfair to overlook one player in particular.
You get the odd purist who doesn’t like individuals being singled out or doesn’t believe a first five-eighth can actually dictate proceedings. They prefer to waffle on about rugby being a team game and first-fives only being as good as their forwards.
Well, Beauden Barrett isn’t your average No 10 and, while he wasn’t wholly responsible for it, the Hurricanes wouldn’t have led 15-6 at halftime without him. He put on their first try and scored the second – both in brilliant fashion.
Willis Halaholo’s was the name that went on the scoresheet but he owed the try to Barrett’s chip and chase. From deep in his own half, Barrett kicked, regathered and then set about outsprinting the Chiefs cover defence.
He was eventually hauled down short of the goal-line, where he popped a pass to Halaholo.
Damian McKenzie replied with a penalty soon after, to make the score 5-3. But that was the Chiefs cue to turn down four more shots at goal, preferring lineout drives and then scrums.
Neither proved fruitful and it was that man Barrett who eventually made them pay.
First Ardie Savea, who had a fine half, engineered a Hurricanes counter-attack that ended with the Chiefs feeding a scrum just short of their own tryline. Savea then put a big shot on Chiefs firstfive Aaron Cruden, which led to a Hurricanes penalty. Barrett did the rest and it was 8-3 and soon to be 15-3.
Barrett took a mark in his 22 and kicked to touch. From the subsequent lineout, he moved up flat on defence and expertly picked off a pass by Chiefs flanker Sam Cane and streaked away to score under the bar.
Special players make special plays and here was Barrett making yet another.
McKenzie rounded out the first-half action by kicking a penalty from wide out.
The Hurricanes led 22-6 after 48 minutes. No 8 Victor Vito powered over from a five-metre scrum and Barrett did the rest.
McKenzie and Barrett then traded penalties to make the score 25-9 with 25 minutes to go.
Hurricanes wing Cory Jane, who’d actually been replaced by Julian Savea, was sinbinned for a deliberate knockdown. It made for an unusual sight as Jane trotted back on to receive his yellow card, then took Julian Savea with him as he jogged off again. Hurricanes 25 (Willis Halaholo, Beauden Barrett, Victor Vito tries; Barrett 2 pen, 2 con) Chiefs 9 (Damian McKenzie 3 pen). 15-6.