Canes punish Rebels in emphatic victory
JULIAN Savea’s first Super Rugby hattrick punctuated a Hurricanes coming of age at Westpac Stadium last night in which they over-ran the Melbourne Rebels.
The challenge from the start was something akin to ‘‘can you keep up?’’ The answer was emphatically ‘‘no’’, underlined with nine tries during the record-setting 66-24 rout.
It eclipsed the Hurricanes’ highest score, a 64-32 win over Northern Transvaal in 1997).
Although the Rebels defence out wide was embarrassingly inept at times, it was not the catalyst.
This was a performance borne of the Hurricanes’ desire to show home fans they are not just another topsyturvy Wellington-based side.
It was spurred by dented pride after four losses from five previous matches at Westpac Stadium.
This time they gave an 11,474 strong crowd the ruthlessness that was missing during second-half meltdowns against the Cheetahs and Brumbies.
The Hurricanes intent was personified by two huge defensive hits from replacement hooker Motu Matu’u on Rebels wing Mark Gerrard and second five-eighth Lachlan Mitchell.
It may not prove enough to reach the playoffs, but in this type of mood the Hurricanes would not be out of place and will remain mathematically in the hunt as they head to Sydney next Saturday.
Most of the damage was done out wide where Savea, fullback Andre Taylor, and hard-running wing Alapati Leiua found limp resistance, the latter two both scoring a brace.
But this was no glossy romp without substance and it was the hard running of flankers Faifili Levave, who had his best match in a Hurricane jersey, and Jack Lam that cleared the decks behind a dominant front five.
Throw in a mature and level performance from halves T J Perenara and Beauden Barrett, who passed Jon Preston’s mark of 152 points for a season in kicking 10 of 10 attempts for 21 points.
It was the result coaches Mark Hammett and Alama Ieremia have been searching for all season.
Melbourne wing Cooper Vuna got the first try when he barrelled through about four defenders from a lineout win.
But there was an energy to the Hurricanes play and an inevitabilityto the match’s flow.
Perenara provided a ‘‘wow’’ moment, ducking down the blindside then turned an inside pass behind his back to Bateman who found a trailing Taylor to make it 10-all.
Tim Bateman constructed his side’s second try when he grubber kicked down the blind for Leiua, and the Hurricanes smelled blood.
Barrett surged and popped inside, then Conrad Smith kicked in behind and Savea had two tries in two minutes as the score ballooned out to 31-10.
Then there was a moment when all Hurricanes fans’ had their hearts in their mouths. Bateman threw a wild pass on his 22m line and Vuna grabbed his second.
Was it to be yet another Hurricanes’ meltdown? One to mirror the capitulation of last year’s match in Melbourne?
Not this time. Levave smashed a hole and Lam crashed over for a 38-17 lead this side was never going to let slip, Rebels hooker Adam Frier salvaged something for the visitors when he scored on full time.