Canes blow away the Brumbies as Kings down Tahs in Sydney

CENTRE Vince Aso scored a hat-trick of tries as the Wellington Hurricanes overhauled the ACT Brumbies in their Super Rugby match in Nelson yesterday.

Aso touched down in the seventh minute and grabbed two more in the second half as the defending champions mowed down a 21-14 deficit at half-time at McLean Park to win their seventh game from eight in the season.

Callum Gibbins collected a brace of tries in the second half, with Cory Jane, Mark Abbott and Ngani Laumape also crossing.

Tevita Kuridrani, Sam Carter and Joe Powell scored tries for the Brumbies who were kept scoreless for the final 50 minutes of the match.

The Hurricanes’ Barrett brothers were relentless in the eight-try rout, with All Blacks flyhalf Beauden pulling the strings and fullback Jordie slotting all seven of his conversion kicks.

Replacement back Otere Black converted Laumape’s final try to keep the kicking record perfect.

Brumbies flyhalf Wharenui Hawera also slotted all three of his conversions but was responsible for a howling error that sparked a late onslaught that took the game away from the visitors. Attempting to clear from deep in defence with his team trailing 28-21, Hawera’s kick was charged down to allow Gibbins to swoop on the ball and charge over. The floodgates opened, with TJ Perenara’s quick hands putting lock Abbott through a hole near the line four minutes later, opening a 40-21 lead that the Brumbies had no hope of clawing back.

The Brumbies slumped to their fifth loss of the season but still hold onto top spot in the Australian conference.

In Sydney, the Southern Kings claimed a shock 24-26 win over the Waratahs.

The Waratahs took a 17-0 lead inside 35 minutes, but the PE men came back with four scores, including a penalty try, to win. The hosts wilted in the second half as the Kings’ scrum and lineout set pieces dominated the day.

The hosts opened the scoring after Bernard Foley’s crossfield kick found Israel Folau, and Taqele Naiyaravoro gath- ered the spilt ball and ran in to the corner

Rob Horne made it 12- 0 shortly afterwards after a good charge downfield by Folau.

The Kings came straight back and after some pressure were stopped on the line. Louis Schreuder sent a loose pass, which Foley intercepted and passed to Cameron Clark, who sped away for his first Super Rugby try.

Two minutes’ later, the Kings got on the scoreboard when Justin Forwood busted through from close range.

The Kings came out firing in the second period and from this set piece platform, they took control. Lionel Cronje

who had a hand in all the Kings’ tries, sent a long pass to Masixole Banda.

The fullback beat the defenders and dived in untouched.

Chris Cloete was yellow-carded for a high tackle, but the hosts could capitalise. Then, from a lineout, the Kings set up their rolling maul and rumbled forward. Michael Willemse finished the powerful drive with a game-levelling try.

The hosts were reeling and another big scrum on the Tahs’ try line was repelled but at the second time of asking, the Kings forwards sent the Tahs’ pack backwards and the scrum disintegrated, and the referee awarded a penalty try.

Naiyaravoro scored after the hooter. – Reuters