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KEY POINTS:
SUPER 14
Hurricanes22
Waratahs26
Only rarely can any side as fancied as the Hurricanes have made such an appalling start in Super Rugby.
With 10 minutes still to go until half-time, the Hurricanes were 19-0 down and had no idea where the next king hit was coming from.
What
was even more strange than seeing the Hurricanes being blown away on their own ground was the fact they were dominating both territory and possession.
The Waratahs owed their lead to sucker punches where they pulled off neat and effective planned moves and one fortuitous bounce, where a Ma'a Nonu grubber rebounded off several legs and hands to fall nicely for Lachie Turner who cruised the length of the field to put the Waratahs in a most commanding position.
As was witnessed when the Brumbies bounced back from the same scoreline on Friday night, 19-0 is not out of sight. The target was not unassailable, at least that was the thought the Hurricanes had to hold on to if they were to find a way back into the contest.
They didn't need to do much in the way of wholesale change. They had no problem getting the ball, it was just finding a way through the supremely organised defence of the visitors that was the problem.
The Waratahs were masterful at getting off the line and crowding the ball carrier. They cut down space so well and they also managed to get their bodies into awkward spots at the breakdown to slow the release.
That frustrated the Hurricanes. They kept working the ball across the field in lateral, slow-motion movements that didn't commit any blue jerseys. Quite what they were hoping to achieve was a mystery. Presumably they had it in mind that if they went back and forth for long enough, the Waratahs would lose interest and fall off some tackles.
It looked like coach Colin Cooper might have been explicit in his half-time instructions that they needed to come up with something more direct. That they had to run straight, pull defenders into the breakdown by attacking the fringes and create space before they went wide.
That message was understood as the Hurricanes were able to ask more questions in the second half. They had even more ball, even more territory and as the game wore on, they started to open just that little bit more space around the ball carrier.
That didn't lead to a deluge of points, however. The Waratahs' scrambling defence was just as good and with 20 minutes remaining the Hurricanes were still 11 points behind and frustration was creeping into their decision-making.
They couldn't get the flow they were after. The passes wouldn't stick when they really had to and the little bit of luck every team needs never came their way.
Nonu was adjudged to have thrown a forward pass to put Tamati Ellison over for what would have been a crucial try. It was a marginal call. Alby Mathewson was taken out in the air trying to collect a high ball and was adjudged to have knocked on.
It was all getting a bit much until Dane Coles found himself charging through a massive gap to dot down on 68 minutes. It was a score Coles deserved as he was the man that kept taking the game to the Waratahs.
Once they were within four points of the lead, it was there for the taking. They should have pushed on for the win, but they switched off, let a wobbly cross kick reach the wing and worse still, allowed Rob Horne to loop round and cruise in at the corner.
It was soft. Cory Jane and Hosea Gear got in a muddle and it felt then as if there was no way back.
Gear, though, took his opportunity to make immediate amends, latching on to Jeremy Thrush's pass which came after the lock made a powerful break.
The Hurricanes had five minutes left to get the score they needed. They never really came close. With a penalty awarded 15 metres out, they chose to kick for the corner. They won the lineout, but were driven back and conceded the free-kick.
In the end it was a brave effort by the Hurricanes to get back into the game, but they should never have found themselves so far behind in the first place.
Hurricanes (D. Kirkpatrick, D. Coles, H. Gear tries; Kirkpatrick 2 cons, pen) Waratahs (S. Norton-Knight, L. Tuqiri, R. Horne, L. Turner tries; K. Beale 3 cons). Half-time: 19-5.
