The Hurricanes have sent their biggest message yet about their title intentions in 2026, thumping the Blues 42-19 at Hnry Stadium in Wellington. The win was a top of the table clash for DHL Super Rugby Pacific, but Clark Laidlaw’s side proved to be the better finishers in front of their home crowd as they ran in six tries against a usually stingy Blues defence.
Callum Harkin opened the scoring with a well taken try around the left edge, which was followed soon after by a barge over by Billy Proctor to shoot the Hurricanes out to a 14-0 lead early. The Blues hit back through AJ Lam and Caleb Clarke, before the competition’s leading try scorer Fehi Fineanganofo cruised over to give the Hurricanes a 21-12 lead at the break.
The next 20 minutes proved crucial, as the Hurricanes kept the Blues at arm’s length through an Asafo Aumua try that was converted by Ruben Love. Malachai Wrampling hit back for the Blues with a strong effort under the posts but after that the Hurricanes put the foot down. Harkin bagged a double and Cam Roigard finished off a really smart move by Jordie Barrett, who quickly punted a penalty in his own 22 straight down the middle of the field instead of going for touch.
The resulting play saw Payton Spencer under all sorts of pressure in the Blues’ 22, turning the ball over for Roigard to sneak away and score under the posts.
That pretty much encapsulated that final stages of the game, with the Hurricanes simply taking the right options and capitalising on them. The key thing now for Laidlaw is to keep this momentum up as they head to Hamilton to face the Chiefs next weekend, he won’t be completely happy with the performance as the Hurricanes recorded two needless yellow cards on their way to the win.
The result drops the Blues down to third on the table as they prepare to host the Highlanders on Friday.
Meanwhile, two teams with up and down seasons so far met in Brisbane, with the Reds beating the Crusaders 31-26. It was the Queenslanders’ first win over the defending champions at Suncorp Stadium since 2012, which was capped off by a Louis Werchon try with two minutes to play. However, the Crusaders did have enough gas in the tank to send Chay Fihaki over for converted try right on fulltime, which could prove to be very valuable in the long run as it secured them a bonus point.
That keeps Rob Penney’s side five points clear of the Waratahs in sixth place, although they will have to play a lot better if they want to retain their title. Carter Gordon’s try set the Reds on the path to victory, with the first five winning the race off a brilliant kick by Harry Wilson. However, the messiness that led to that moment will be of concern to Penney, as they now head to Perth for a date with a Force side coming off a loss of their own.
Ben Donaldson’s late penalty miss consigned the Force to a 24-22 result as the Drua drew on their significant home ground advantage in Lautoka, earlier they’d built on a strong first half and an intercept try on debut by Isikeli Basiyalo.
Watching all this with interest will be the Chiefs, who have quietly slipped up to second place with their 62-17 win over Moana Pasifika in Rotorua. The Brumbies’ 14-10 win over the Highlanders on Friday night means they’re right back in the hunt too, just two points back in fourth place. We’re now a fortnight out from the blockbuster Super Round at the new One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, with the slate of games looking quite crucial for final ladder placings.
Chiefs 62 (Tries: Tupaea 2, Taumoefolau 2, Thompson 2, McKenzie 2, Finau, Jacomb; Cons: McKenzie 6)
Moana Pasifika 17 (Tries: Alaimalo, Pole, Faiilagi; Cons: Pellegrini)
Fijian Drua 24 (Tries: Cakobau, Rabitu, Armstrong-Ravula, Basiyalo; Cons: Armstrong-Ravula 2)
Western Force 22 (Tries: Epenisa, Pietsch, Williams, Harris; Cons: Donaldson)
Hurricanes 42 (Tries: Harkin 2, Aumua, Roigard, Fineanganofo, Proctor; Cons: Love 6)
Blues 19 (Tries: Lam, Clarke, Wrampling; Cons: B. Barrett 2)
Reds 31 (Tries: McReight, Gordon, Ryan, Daugunu, Werchon; Cons: Campbell 2, McLaughlin-Phillips)
Crusaders 26 (Tries: Fihaki 2, Bell, Lio-Willie; Cons: Kemara, Reihana 2)