Brumbies v Hurricanes: Five takeaways as All Blacks hopeful shines in first win for a New Zealand team in Australia in 2025
Hurricanes flyer Kini Naholo.
Following the Hurricanes’ 35-29 triumph over the Brumbies in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
As expected, this was an entertaining affair with both sides giving their all for the full 80 minutes but the Hurricanes eventually got the rub of the green and clinched a deserved victory.
The opening half was evenly contested with the home side taking an early lead courtesy of an Allan Alaalatoa try in the ninth minute but the Hurricanes replied with a Billy Proctor try soon after.
The Brumbies took a 10-5 lead by the 15th minute when Noah Lolesio slotted a penalty but the men from Wellington regained the initiative when Ngantungane Punivai dotted down before Ruben Love added the extras and he also succeeded with a penalty which meant the Hurricanes held a five-point lead by the half hour-mark.
However, there was still plenty to play for and late tries from Luke Reimer and Kini Naholo meant this match was still evenly balanced with the Hurricanes holding a 20-15 lead at half-time.
The second half was a similar story as there was little to choose between the sides but the Hurricanes extended their lead when Love added another penalty five minutes after the restart but a five-pointer from Len Ikitau, which was converted by Lolesio, meant the visitors led by the narrowest of margins after 48 minutes.
However, another converted Naholo five-pointer gave the Hurricanes a 30-22 lead but the Brumbies suffered a huge setback in the 57th minute when Tuaina Taii Tualima was yellow carded for a dangerous hit on Love.
The visitors made full use of the extra man in their ranks as they were soon rewarded when Punivai crossed for his second five-pointer in the 61st minute.
The Brumbies would not surrender though and in the 71st minute Andy Muirhead went over for their fourth try which set up a tense finish. However, the Hurricanes did not panic and held on for the win which is their first victory since the end of March.
Hurricanes end New Zealand teams’ Australian drought
After years of playing second fiddle to their rivals from across the Tasman Sea, 2025 has been a much better year for Australia’s Super Rugby Pacific sides against their opponents from New Zealand.
Ahead of this fixture, no New Zealand-based side had managed to win an away match against an Australian team in 2025 and it took them until the last match of the 11th round to achieve that feat.
The Hurricanes eventually broke that sequence of results which has seen Australian sides winning seven successive matches against New Zealand opposition on home soil, while the Wellington-based outfit also drew with the Western Force in Perth last weekend.
Saturday’s victory in Canberra means the Hurricanes move into fifth position in the Super Rugby Pacific standings with 22 points amassed from 10 matches played – seven adrift of the Brumbies who are still in third spot after completing a similar number of matches.
Kini Naholo leads the way for the Hurricanes
The All Blacks hopeful caught the eye with an outstanding all-round performance and was at the forefront of the visitors’ attacking onslaught as he kept the Brumbies defence busy for the full 80 minutes.
Naholo proved difficult to stop once he built up a head of steam and eventually finished this encounter with a match-high 124 metres gained which included 13 runs, with two clean breaks, a whopping 10 defenders beaten and he was rewarded with a brace of tries for his efforts.
The 26-year-old took the fight to the home side with those barnstorming runs but also showed his intelligence to get some passes away to his team-mates in the backline with the likes of Callum Harkin, Punivai and Billy Proctor also impressing on attack.
Apart from his brilliance on attack, Naholo also did his bit on defence and if he continues in this vein it will be difficult for All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson to ignore him for the upcoming Test series against France in New Zealand.
Brumbies’ ill discipline proves costly
As the scoreline suggests, this was a tight battle with the match in the balance until the game’s closing stages and although Hurricanes were worthy winners, the Brumbies will be kicking themselves as they conceded penalties at critical times.
In the end, the home side conceded nine penalties to the Hurricanes’ four and although that was not a high count, it did prove costly for the hosts who eventually lost by six points.
This was particularly true in the game’s latter stages when the Brumbies were chasing the game when they committed too many unforced errors.
The biggest disciplinary talking point was the yellow card issued to Tualima for a head clash on Love while making a tackle. The incident was sent for review and stayed as is but during the number eight’s stint in the sin bin, Punivai scored a crucial try which ultimately proved to be the difference between winning and losing for the two teams.
Brilliant breakdown battle
Both sides are renowned for giving their all in the breakdown battle and in Luke Reimer (Brumbies) and Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes) they have two excellent foragers who gave their all in that department.
Reimer and Kirifi went flying into the rucks in a bid to gain crucial turnovers and both won their fare share of balls in that department while also slowing down their opponents’ ball in the process.
Although the Hurricanes held a slight edge in the breakdown battle in the end, it helped that they also had All Blacks rookie Peter Lakai – who packed down at number eight for the visitors – in their ranks as he is also adept on the openside flank.
However, it was Kirifi who ultimately came out on top in the breakdown battle as he was responsible for winning a breakdown penalty for the visitors which Love slotted in the game’s dying moments to seal a much needed win for his team.