Hurricanes 26 Sharks 29
A season that started with such great promise for the Hurricanes is quickly entering desperation mode just halfway through the competition.
Last night, they lost their fourth consecutive match.
To put that in context, the Waratahs missed out on a place in the top four last season even though they
lost just four games.
The Hurricanes might now have left themselves too much ground to make up if they are to figure, especially as they still have to face the Crusaders, Brumbies, Chiefs, Waratahs and resurgent Reds.
Perhaps more worryingly, they seem to have lost their mojo.
They looked dangerous at times last night, especially on the counter, but too often a pass missed its mark or players lost possession at critical times. It was all too easy for the Sharks defence to read.
The home side had a chance to snaffle an unlikely win, recovering from a 23-12 deficit with 15 minutes remaining to draw level at 26-26 as the hooter sounded in the background.
But while that was going off, Ruan Pienaar was lining up a penalty attempt on halfway after Piri Weepu had been penalised in a ruck. Pienaar's kick sailed between the posts as he was engulfed by jubilant team-mates.
The Hurricanes could only look on in disbelief. Where had it all gone so horribly wrong?
Many had chosen them as title favourites and they seemed to only confirm this with comfortable victories in the first two rounds.
The Sharks are a decent side, better than their record of only one win going into this match suggested. They are littered with Springboks and had lost three matches by five points or less.
They had also done well against the Hurricanes in recent times, having not lost to the Wellingtonians since John Plumtree took charge of the Sharks in 2006.
The Hurricanes never had their noses in front last night and few could say the Sharks didn't deserve the points.
They dominated large periods of the first half without really taking control of the match.
They enjoyed significantly more possession and territory than the hosts, were strong when called on to defend and their scrum presented a great platform to attack from (they even snaffled one tighthead).
The Hurricanes looked most dangerous on the counter. Given where they played most of the half, counter-attacking was a necessity.
They rarely enjoyed good ball in opposition territory and simply couldn't put the Sharks under enough pressure.
It brought about a change at halftime. Aaron Cruden and Weepu, who wouldn't have enjoyed starting the last two matches on the pine, both came on in the hope of adding more direction and penetration.
Cruden took on the line in his precocious way and made an immediate difference. Weepu sniped around the fringes.
They started to enjoy more possession and Weepu landed a couple of penalties to close the deficit to 13-12 with half an hour to play. Momentum, it seemed, was with the home side.
That changed quickly and the Sharks scored a brilliant try to open out a 23-12 lead with just 15 minutes remaining.
It came from a Hurricanes kickoff, went through six sets of hands and ended with JP Pietersen crossing.
The Hurricanes hadn't come close to scoring all night but they simply had to if they were to get back into the match.
They came through the sometimes erratic Ma'a Nonu and bustling Victor Vito, with Weepu landing a pressure conversion from close to the touchline with time almost up on the clock.
But then Pienaar stepped up to ruin the night and possibly the Hurricanes' season.
Hurricanes 26 (M. Nonu, V. Vito tries, W. Ripia 2 pens, P. Weepu 2 pens, 2 cons) Sharks 29 (P. Lambie, JP Pietersen tries, R. Pienaar 2 cons, 5 pens). HT: 6-13.
