Hurricanes bounce back
The Hurricanes got their Super 14 season off to a belated start on Friday, running out 22-17 winners against the Highlanders.
Last Updated: 20/02/09 9:50am
The Hurricanes got their Super 14 season off to a belated start on Friday, running out 22-17 winners against the Highlanders at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
With both sides having lost their opening fixtures there was a tense edge to this game, resulting in some pretty awful rugby in the first half. In fact it took until the last minute of the half to see any points, and it was hardly surprisingly they came from the boot of Dan Kirkpatrick.
Having dropped Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith, the Hurricanes lacked any penetration behind the scrum, and thus had to rely on the boot of Kirkpatrick more often than not.
And it was the introduction of Nonu at half-time that changed the complex of this game with the All Blacks centre heavily involved in the build-up to the try.
Nonu first set Cory Jane free with a delightful pass, before taking the attack to within a metre of the line. David Smith was on hand to finish off once the ball was moved wide.
Dangerous
With Jane picking up an injury in the build up to the try the Hurricanes were forced to re-unite their All Black midfield - Conrad Smith coming on in his place. Suddenly the Hurricanes started looking dangerous.
But for a controversial decision by the TMO the Hurricanes would have been in a comfortable position heading towards the last 25 minutes. But somehow the TMO awarded a try to the Highlanders after Daniel Bowden, Hosea Gear and Jason Eaton all went for the ball in the in-goal area. There was clearly no control, or downward pressure, from Bowden however the try was awarded.
On such decisions do games hang, and three minutes later the game had been turned on its head. A loose ball in the Hurricanes' 22 resulted in Steven Setephano galloping in for an unexpected try. Again Bowden slotted the extras and suddenly the Highlanders were in front by four.
Another three minutes on and it was a seven-point lead thanks to a Bowden penalty, and the early promise the home side had shown at the start of the second half was but a distant memory.
However the Hurricanes scored two tries in the last six minutes to steal an unlikely victory. Eaton barged over for the first, after 16 phases had stretched the Highlanders to breaking point, before Conrad Smith finished to rob the visitors of victory.
