Watch out, the Hurricanes are the real deal in 2024: Phil Gifford’s Super Rugby talking points

T.J. Perenara en route to career try number 62. Photo / Photosport

OPINION

The Hurricanes continue to show they’re the team to beat in Super Rugby Pacific.

The Chiefs are a powerful unit, and when they hit the lead 23-17 at 49 minutes in Wellington, it was going to take a huge effort from the Canes to fight their way to a victory.

The Canes then not only scored 19 unanswered points, to win 36-23, but also did it with a style and flair that was a reminder rugby, played with an attacking mindset, can still be an absolute pleasure to watch.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Since the cruel knee injury that will see halfback Cam Roigard out of the game for months, T.J. Perenara has brilliantly stepped up, playing as well as he ever has in a career that spans 80 tests, and 12 years as a Hurricane.

Always aggressive and daring, he’s a perfect example of the attitude of the current Canes. They play with huge confidence, making offloads that would be risky, if their backing-up wasn’t so relentless.

To quote Justin Marshall, “Boom-fah!”

The classiest try of the match was scored in the 67th minute by Canes wing Kini Naholo, after brilliant interplay involving Jordie Barrett, wing Josh Moorby and loose forward Du’Plessis Kirifi, who made the final pass to Naholo.

But for sheer visceral impact, hulking hooker Asafo Aumua took the prize. He capped a rampant performance in the 71st minute with a try that left three Chiefs defenders reeling.

Loyalty repaid

The loyalists who braved bitter rain squalls to watch the women’s Super Rugby Aupuki final at Eden Park were rewarded with a stunning comeback from the Blues, who in the last 20 minutes went from being 18-5 down to beating Chiefs Manawa 24-18.

Maia Roos of the Blues holds up the Super Rugby Aupiki trophy. Photo / Getty Images

There was daring and huge commitment from the Blues, blistering speed from Black Ferns wing Katelyn Vaha’akolo and steely determination from Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, who was never going to be stopped as she plunged over for the winning try in the 77th minute.

Sport as high drama

For those of us who love sport as theatre, the Waratahs’ 43-40 extra time win over the Crusaders in Sydney was a perfect example. A game on a knife edge from the first whistle? In spades. The lead changed 13 times.

A hero? Take Tahs’ reserve first five, Will Harrison. A schoolboy star, the 24-year-old has been plagued by injury for almost three years. But when it mattered, he first kicked a penalty to tie up the match, 40-40, then calmly slotted the dropped goal for victory.

A villain? Too obvious. Step forward Queensland referee Nic Berry. Berry could be heard saying, “he can drain the clock”, as Rivez Reihana was lining up the conversion of Christian Leo-Willie’s last-gasp try, to finish the game at 40-37.

Having watched the replay seven times, I swear Reihana was still a step away from kicking the ball when 80 minutes ticked over. But Berry called play on, and Harrison did the rest.

Tear and cheers

The deeply worrying aspect of the loss for the Crusaders was that most of their problems were self-inflicted. The most basic shaky area was clearing out of their own half from kickoffs. And while their scrum was rock solid, the lineouts, while better than earlier in the season, also had fragile moments.

It won’t be much consolation, but Ethan Blackadder returned with such fierce authority it was as if he’d had a few days away recovering from an injury, not the six months he’s actually had rehabbing.

Another scorcher

The ground in Whangārei wasn’t exactly packed out for Moana Pasifika’s 17-14 victory over the Reds. But the rugby faithful who did turn out saw a game that was a reminder of why rugby at its best can be spine-tingling.

The ending was a Hollywood cliffhanger. With 75 seconds to go, and his his team trailing 14-10, Moana’s first five William Havili thrust himself over for the winning try, which he then converted.

With two stupid red cards, the Reds took careful aim and shot into their own feet, but it was still an impressive effort from Moana.

Alongside their young guns, 33-year-old Julian Savea offers a calm, committed, powerful presence. The former All Blacks wing’s move to second five has given Moana’s midfield a solidity and certainty crucial when games tighten up.

Matilda may feel like a waltz

As one of many Kiwis who held little hope for Australian Super teams this year, it was a sobering fact that the Melbourne Rebels’ 47-31 win over the Highlanders made it two from two for Aussie sides against New Zealand’s South Island teams in the weekend.

There was nothing lucky about the Rebels’ victory. Every time the Highlanders fought back, the Rebels had an immediate reply. In the process their 20-year-old wonder wing, Darby Lancaster, who had been a teenage sensation in sevens, scored three terrific tries.

Two were brilliant solo efforts, and the third involved an intercept, where, at full pace, he snapped up a bouncing ball at bootlace level.

Phil Gifford has twice been judged New Zealand sportswriter of the year, has won nine New Zealand and two Australasian radio awards, and been judged New Zealand Sports Columnist of the year three times. In 2010 he was honoured with the SPARC lifetime achievement award for services to sports journalism.