No way through: Piri Weepu halted by the Hurricanes
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A last-minute converted Conrad Smith try saw the Hurricanes claim a superb 26-25 win over the Blues at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
Smith was the man of the moment for his team, as the Hurricanes skipper was responsible for putting his side in front 19-16 with a five-pointer on the stroke of at half-time.
But with less than a minute to play, the Blues looked to have the game in the bag after full-back Lachie Munro slotted over three penalties to put the home side back in front 25-19.
That was until Smith capped off his night and secured a bonus point for the visitors with his team's fourth try set up and duly converted by pivot Beauden Barrett for the win.
The visitors had outscored the hosts four tries to one - but Munro landed 20 points through six penalties and a conversion of Ma'a Nonu's try that kept the Blues in front of the majority of the match.
Munro's points tally went someway to atoning for two defensive blunders that had helped keep the Hurricanes in the contest - Cory Jane and Smith both profited from errors by the Blues full-back.
The Blues had come out firing in the first half as Munro landed a penalty and then a conversion after Nonu - who left the Hurricanes in acrimonious circumstances last season - had crashed over from close range after 15 minutes to give the hosts a 10-0 lead.
The Hurricanes response was immediate. From the restart, wing Julian Savea shook off two would-be tacklers before off-loading to Andre Taylor on the halfway line. The full-back stepped on the gas, brushed aside Benson Stanley and rounded Munro before sprinting in for a sensational try in the corner.
Barrett converted only for Munro to land a second penalty to put the Blues 13-7 in front.
Munro, though, was left red in the face after the Hurricanes crossed for their second try seven minutes before the break. Munro coughed up possession after attempting to run Taylor's chip ahead out of his 22, and the ever-alert Jane scooped up the ball and held off Piri Weepu's poor attempted tackle to score.
Again Munro responded with a penalty before another defensive moment he will want to forget as he failed to cope with Tim Bateman's grubber allowing Smith to hack on - with a lucky bounce assisting the All Blacks centre for the try.
Barrett's conversion on the stroke of half-time saw the Hurricanes lead for the first time.
However the Blues and Munro responded brilliantly with three penalties earning them a 25-19 advantage - while Barrett was off-target with a three-pointer of his own.
The Blues seemed set to hold on for the win until a last roll of the dice from the Hurricanes snatched the win. A brilliant counter-attack from Barrett created the space for Smith to race away.
Smith ensured he touched the ball down as close to the posts as he could, allowing Barrett to slot over the crucial conversion.
The scorers:
For Blues:
Try: Nonu
Con: Munro
Pens: Munro 6
For Hurricanes:
Tries: Taylor, Jane, Smith 2
Cons: Barrett 3
Blues: 15 Lachie Munro, 14 David Raikuna, 13 Benson Stanley, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Rudi Wulf, 10 Piri Weepu, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Brad Mika, 7 Daniel Braid (c), 6 Chris Lowrey, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Liaki Moli, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 James Parsons, 17 Tevita Mailau, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Sean Polwart, 20 Gareth Anscombe, 21 Michael Hobbs, 22 Hadleigh Parkes.
Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben May.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Michael Bent, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Brad Shields, 20 Chris Eaton, 21 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22 Charlie Ngatai.
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Comments
sandal says...
@yamahakiwi
I agree with all you say about the Hurricanes board. Players in the Bay, Taranaki and Manawatu should naturally be looking to play for the Canes. Increasingly, they are not.
But I don't agree that the Canes were full of individuals and not team players when Hammett took over. You cannot play the brand of open, fluent rugby that has been the Canes' trademark without a strong team ethic. And the All Blacks coaches would not have kept faith with their Hurricanes All Blacks if they had undermined the team ethic.
Neither do I think it disingenous of me to attribute the departures to a rupture between players and coach. Sure, the presence of his Manawatu and NZ under-19s coach in Hamilton would have been a pull for Cruden, but the loss of an All Black inside him and another outside him at Wellington would have been a strong push too. And consider the departure of the entire front row. Hammett, despite being a former All Black hooker, saw off an entire All Black front row. Was the loss of these three men mere coincidence?
You mention the fact that Conrad Smith -- yes, a very intelligent player -- stayed. Certainly, that is important. But consider that another highly intelligent player, a core Hurricanes man, came back from Japan and, rather than return to Wellington, joined Jamie Joseph and the Highlanders. I am talking of Tamati Ellison.
Posted 06:19 27th March 2012
Carpelone says...
@dylster
More importantly, did you get enough Marmite? They reported here that you are suffering a serious shortage.
Posted 13:33 26th March 2012
Carpelone says...
dylster
welcome back, mate. I need someone to chat with when the SA's teams will steamroll over NZ's ones. Joking.
PS If you had blood pressure after the RWC, we Saffers should have all gone after that QF.
Posted 13:25 26th March 2012
yamahakiwi says...
Sandal...yeah plenty of players did leave but some important ones, including THE most important one of the lot, and most intelligent and under-rated player in NZ, Conrad Smith stayed.
That team was all about individuals and I think Hammett wants to create more of a team ethic, ala the Crusaders, and with their history of success why wouldn't you?
However the feeling in the Hurricanes has always been more individualistic than the Crusaders and he was dealing with a number of strong-willed senior players who obviously didn't buy in to the team culture he wants to create.
It's a little bit ingenious to list all those players who left as being because of Hammett. Cruden's case for example, is about following his provincial coach who he obviously has a lot of time for rather than being pushed away by Hammett.
As I alluded to in my earlier post, my beef's not with Hammett but with the Hurricanes board who are quite frankly sh**e. There will be many fans in the region, particularly HB, who now identify more with the Crusaders than their own home region given the woeful way the board interacts with the other parts of the Hurricanes region. That can be seen with the way the Crusaders were embraced in HB and how many players from outside Wellington are playing for other Super teams. It's a sign of a bad administration when that is occuring. If it's working well, those players would be chomping at the bit to play for their home region. The fact is the board doesn't make an effort to be inclusive and value the other parts of the region and therefore the players from there don't feel any affinity to the region. That is a key thing to be sorted out.
Posted 11:22 26th March 2012
isthatrightref says...
@ sandal... it's a long way back to Levin wearing a Crusaders jumper on a bus otherwise full of gloating Hurricanes fans & it doesn't get much better when you get back to a Club full of fans who didn't go on the bus but still want to give you their 2 cents worth... I did it 3 times (& missed the trip the year we won) which probably explains why I still think of your lot as our nemesis Mind you, the night I took the future Mrs isthatrightref to Waikato Stadium 'cos she wanted to see DC (not playing as such, just walking around) I think we lost too - hell, if I hadn't been in Lancaster Park's Nosebleed stand the night we put plenty past the Cats (?) in '04 I'd probably think I was a jinx or something!
Posted 07:57 26th March 2012
sandal says...
@dylster
I understand the reasons for your silence. Bear up.
@isthatrightref
Thank you for your concern! Lol. But the Canes don't always slump. We have made five semifinals in the past nine years.
I don't think you have much to fear from us, however. We appear as capable as ever of winning on any given day, but the Crusaders have the wood on us (and it's 3-0 to you in the knockouts). Remember, it is the Chiefs who are the traditional spoilers of better teams' prospects.
Posted 00:49 25th March 2012
sandal says...
First: the Blues. Auckland's media, as ever, placed them among the title favourites. PR makes this mistake just as often. Why? Sure, they have been hit hard by injuries. But even with Weepu and Nonu, the squad didn't look like cohering. Lam has a poor record as a coach and Mealamu, fine player though he is, is an ineffectual leader. Year in and year out, the rest of NZ looks upon the Blues as a joke and a disappointment.
To those who are critical of Weepu, consider that Jane has an outstanding fend and that Barrett deserves much credit for beating Weepu in the final minute. But at first-five, Weepu did play like a second halfback. One is enough.
As for the Canes, I too was thrilled to be at Eden Park and see them win in that manner. The Blues set out to win ugly -- by accumulating in multiples of three as their pack bullied up front -- and ended up losing ugly. You cannot shut down the game with five minutes to go. I have no sympathy. They conceded four tries (three of them beautiful to behold) and scored only one themselves.
The Canes are well led by Conrad Smith. I admired Barrett's positional play. He kicks reasonably well and, even better perhaps, anticipates the response well. He is promising, but his defence needs improving and he still has a lot to learn.
As for those who say Hammett has been vindicated, no! He should never have jettisoned or repelled so many outstanding players -- Hore, Schwalger, Tialata, Weepu, Cruden, Nonu, Gear. They cannot all have been wrong. Hammett undermined many of his senior players last year -- he repeatedly subbed his captain, Hore, when the game was in the balance. When Hammett couldn't, Henry, Hanson and Smith were able to harness the skills of many of these men to win a world cup.
Whatever happens this season, it cannot atone for what Hammett did last year, tearing apart a strong, home-based team.
Posted 00:30 25th March 2012
dylster says...
@ Carpelone
yeha im happy! i vowed to not comment on these forums after the WC...i was getting to wound up by cheat allegations and the ABs poaching players from the islands etc etc....not good for my blood pressure!
Im in the same camp as bk47, really didnt appreciate Hammetts approach and almost wanted the Canes to fail this year...but yeah hes proving me wrong...and Im quite happy about it!
Nice to see the kiwi teams doing well and the Reds not so well. :-)
I think the rucks need attention yet again...the new rules have made things worse not better. Bring back rucking!
Posted 03:04 24th March 2012
kpe12 says...
Haha Hammett haters. I bet that result bought a smile to his face seeing Nonu and Peri on the wrong side of the scoreboard against the team they left for "greener pastures". Blues look awful. Jane needs to lose that thing growing off his chin though.
Posted 01:23 24th March 2012
kahui says...
canessssssssssss - we coming for everyone
Posted 23:16 23rd March 2012
yamahakiwi says...
Was at the game last night. Great finish! This is a much better TEAM than last year without Nonu and Weepu. They would've been better just knuckling down under Hammett. Instead they transferred to a team going nowhere. Weepu only has a one year contract and will only last the one year. Unfortunately he is a pale shadow of what he was at the Hurricanes. Look out for the announcement that he's off to the Top14, Guiness Premiership or Pro12. Nonu as well might soon have second thoughts about the decision he made. He would've been better off going to a stable team like the Highlanders than a loose unit like the Blues.
I still don't expect to see the Hurricanes get to the playoffs but they are trying to play positively and they are a young team building. At least they are looking a much better prospect than the Blues who could well finish last in the NZ conference this year. Problem for the Blues is unlike in the past they are not even getting great local talent coming through anymore. A lot of top young prospects in Auckland are plumping for the Warriors and rugby league so we are seeing more and more cast-offs from other regions.
As far as the Canes are concerned, they need to retain younger talent from the provinces outside Wellington much better. There are a number of players from the Canes area starring for other teams. Aaron Smith from Manawatu at the Highlanders for one. And to think Hammett chose journeyman Chris Smylie in the draft from outside the region. Thank goodness he was invalided out (Though I don't like to wish injury on players) and it opened things up for the younger TJ Perenara and Chris Eaton but to think if Smith was at 9 for the Canes that backline would be looking even better.
Bath fans - be very afraid about your team's future if Lam becomes your coach.
Posted 22:33 23rd March 2012
NHsaints says...
Anyone else thinking Barrett for the next AB's 10? Anyway...I'm really dissapointed in the Blues so far, they've got the backs and Forwards so that under the circumstance of having no major injuries they could tear any team to bits...unfortunately it does not seem to be going that way...
Posted 18:21 23rd March 2012
Euskadi says...
ManWarrior...i'm with you, I had the Blues by 6 in Superbru then Smith ruined my party. Serves me right though I have been a 'Canes supporter from the start but switched my allegiance to the Chiefs this year but happy to see that they are both doing well so far. I stil cant get my mind around the Blues though, they have the names on paper although they have a pretty long injury list but somehow just cant win the tight games. I don't like Weepu at 10, never have...he's a back up at best, I think he plays much better at 9 and I think you saw that when he went there although its hard to leave Alby out IMO. I agree somewhat with hayj, Weepu was poor...the non tackle on Jane was soft although Jane does have a superb fend and was likely to score that try against anyone but I think Weepu could've done better although in fairness to Weepu the Blues should never have been in that position but were because of Munro. Just shows you that mistakes cost points at this level. Back to Weepu, he let Barret through to set up Smiths winner and Barret had the temperament to score the win. Barret looks good, between him and Cruden for form 10 in the NZ conference at the moment, i'd probably give it to Barret at the moment, he passes well, sees space and with a bit more coaching should have an even higher success rate off the tee. Andre Taylor looks the goods too but then so does the Chiefs Robbie Robinson, I saw him playing for the Maori in 2010 and thought this guy has something. Why is it that NZ always seems to have a wealth of outside backs? Wingers and Fullbacks especially! And lately our class in the Midfield has become almost too cluttered, if Cruden and Barret continue their good development then the ABs could have 2 world class back-lines
Posted 15:36 23rd March 2012
fiwiboy says...
pat lam must go; send him back to bath!!
Posted 13:59 23rd March 2012
Carpelone says...
Dylster must be happy, at last.
Posted 13:55 23rd March 2012
Ringo says...
Yes! Thought the Blues might struggle with 80mins after the trip from SA. Didn't catch the game, but my SuperBru is intact.
Posted 12:48 23rd March 2012
hayj05 says...
Blame Piri, Kicked the ball away with 90 seconds left & then missed the tackle on Barrett as he cut through the line.
Posted 11:10 23rd March 2012
philb87 says...
Gotta say....am really loving the Hurricanes at the moment. I thought they would struggle this year, but they are playing like a true team. Their youngsters are a joy to watch too. They seem to play without fear. Will be interesting to see if guys such as Beauden Barrett, Andre Taylor and Julian Savea get a chance with the AB's come later in the year.
Posted 09:33 23rd March 2012
isthatrightref says...
@ Sandal... don't worry, the inevitable mid- to late-season slump awaits - I just hope you don't knock my Crusaders over AGAIN beforehand :-)
Posted 09:27 23rd March 2012
hayj05 says...
Gez how many tight games has there been already? Must be the tightest start to a Super Rugby competition ever.
Posted 08:50 23rd March 2012