Hurricanes overpower Waratahs in Wellington to crush finals hopes

Fri, May 3, 2024, 8:41 AM
AW
by AAP and Nathan Williamson

The Hurricanes have rebounded with a 41-12 win over the NSW Waratahs in Wellington.

They blew out the Waratahs in the first half to take a 26-0 lead at the break.

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The visitors were left struggling for answers as winger Salesi Rayasi came off the bench and crossed for a double.

Tries to Hugh Sinclair and debutant Vuate Karawalevu got the Waratahs on the board late in the game.

However, TJ Perenara's 64th try of his career sealed the win and his spot as the leading try-scorer ever in Super Rugby.

The Tahs' latest crushing bonus-point defeat left them with a galling two-from-10 record, and the coaching staff at the Waratahs didn't pull their punches in assessing the performance.

"We're coming second, by a long way," NSW assistant coach Chris Whitaker said of the Waratahs' meek first-half effort at Sky Stadium.

"The contact area was pretty poor, both sides of the ball.

"We're not tackling hard enough, not carrying hard enough. Speed around the field is probably not up to it either."

Stinging from a first loss of the season last week to the Brumbies, the Hurricanes came out firing.

First-half tries to winger Billy Proctor, five-eighth Brett Cameron, winger Joshua Moorby and No.8 Brayden Iose earned the hosts a virtually unbeatable 26-0 lead at the break.

A try-scoring double from electric replacement Salesi Rayasi put the issue beyond doubt, despite late second-half crosses for Waratahs duo Hugh Sinclair and Vuate Karawalevu.

"We do some good stuff and we sort of let ourselves down a little bit," said Waratahs captain Jake Gordon.

"I thought some of the play late in that second half there was some really good moments, but (against) a quality team like that, we need to do it for longer."

An eighth loss of the season leaves the Waratahs languishing in second-last spot on the ladder and needing to string a succession of wins together in the closing rounds to scrape into the top eight.

HURRICANES 41

Tries: Proctor, Cameron, Moorby, Iose, Rayasi 2, Perenara

Cons: Cameron 3/7

WARATAHS 12

Tries: Karawalevu, Sinclair

Cons: Edmed 1/2

HURRICANES v NSW WARATAHS TEAMS

HURRICANES (1-15): Pouri Rakete-Stones, Kianu Kereru-Symes, Tyrel Lomax, Justin Sangster, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Devan Flanders, Peter Lakai, Brayden Iose, Richard Judd, Brett Cameron, Bailyn Sullivan, Riley Higgins, Billy Proctor (c), Josh Moorby, Ruben Love

RESERVES: Raymond Tuputupu, Xavier Numia, Pasilio Tosi, Ben Grant, Du'Plessis Kirifi, TJ Perenara, Jordie Barrett, Salesi Rayasi

WARATAHS (1-15): Hayden Thompson-Stringer, Julian Heaven, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Hugh Sinclair, Fergus Lee-Warner, Lachlan Swinton, Hunter Ward, Langi Gleeson, Jake Gordon (c), Will Harrison, Dylan Pietsch, Lalakai Foketi, Joey Walton, Triston Reilly, Mark Nawaqanitawase

RESERVES: Jay Fonokalafi, Lewis Ponini, Brad Amituanai, Miles Amatosero, Charlie Gamble, Jack Grant, Tane Edmed, Vuate Karawalevu

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