Perenara avoids citing
if – like the Hurricanes – you’ve lost the previous year’s final. Whatever joy was generated by beating the Chiefs, would surely be tempered by the knowledge there’s a more important game still to come.
Barrett said there was delight at being able to host the Lions in Saturday’s final, but that the team needed to enjoy having beaten the Chiefs first.
‘‘Absolutely. I’m so excited and so happy with the result tonight. I think we’ve got to smell the roses when they come,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to go one better than last year, there’s no hiding from that. To have given ourselves that opportunity, we’re just so excited and we’ve earnt another Monday so we’re pumped.’’
Famed over the years for their attacking prowess, the Hurricanes’ defence enabled them to see off the Chiefs.
In many ways it was a brave performance and one proud of.
Barrett, in his modest way, might believe he got lucky a couple of times, but there’s nothing fluky about the fact the team have no gone 221 minutes without conceding a try.
‘‘All credit goes to Plum [John Plumtree], our ‘D’ coach,’’ said Savea.
‘‘It just feels like all the brothers have got confidence to come up and there’s a lot of trust in our ‘D’ line. It was bloody good today.’’ the team can be Stand-in Hurricanes skipper TJ Perenara is free to play Saturday’s Super Rugby final against the Lions despite his part in an ugly incident involving Chiefs captain Sam Cane at Westpac Stadium.
Perenara has escaped citing despite appearing to lash out at Cane with his boot, which made contact with the Chiefs flanker’s head in the 57th minute of Saturday’s semifinal.
Sanzaar spokesman Greg Thomas confirmed there were no citings from either semifinal at the weekend. Citing commissioners thoroughly reviewed the footage of both matches in Wellington and Johannesburg and found no player had a case to answer.
The in-form Perenara could be considered lucky to escape sanction, which could have cost him a place in the final and even some All Blacks tests. According to World Rugby’s guidelines, suspensions for kicking range from a two-week ban to 12 weeks for a ‘‘top end’’ offence.
Television coverage captured the incident, when Cane tackled Perenara without the ball in an attempted cleanout at a ruck. On the ground, Perenara lashed out with both boots and collected Cane in the head. He appeared to show immediate concern for Cane’s welfare as his opponent reeled from the blow.