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Hurricanes player ratings vs Chiefs | Super Rugby Pacific
By Ben Smith
The Chiefs travelled to Wellington to take on the Hurricanes, looking to bounce back from a loss at home against the Crusaders. The home side were hoping to also bounce back after being the first New Zealand side to lose to Moana Pasifika.
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The Hurricanes brought intense line speed early which paid dividends with a try just over 60 seconds into the game. They carried a 15-13 lead into half-time, but softened up and let the Chiefs take the lead in the second.
Giving away six penalties in a row midway through the second half, they fell behind 30-15 only to storm back to within one point.
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Here’s how the Hurricanes players rated:
1. Pouri Rakete-Stones – 5/10
Held firm on the first Hurricanes scrum but began to wilt after that. Lost a penalty to Angus Ta’avao after too much pressure on the second. Some good tackles in close. Chiefs front row had the better of them in the first half. Off at half-time. Wasn’t really a memorable performance.
2. Asafo Aumua – 6.5
His early throwing was crisp, hitting his first five or so targets on time, but the lineout began to falter late in the half with an unplanned overthrow at a key time. Scrum started to fail under the pressure of the Chiefs’ All Blacks. Provided strong carries, as always, but was inaccurate at the breakdown, giving away a penalty in the first half for not supporting body weight. Conceded another penalty, stripping a tackled player inside his own 22 in the second half during a key period that the Hurricanes imploded in. Lifted his impact on defence late in the second half and finished with some strong carries. Got through a ton of work with 16 tackles. Overall a good performance, but discipline costly at times.
3. Tyrel Lomax – 5
Solid defence early on, driving the Chiefs back with some great hits. Was done by Josh Ioane when he tried to bring line speed in the lead-up to Anton Lienert-Brown’s try. Scrum struggled but he held his side well enough. Forced a key turnover 10 minutes into the second half with a counter ruck as the Chiefs looked to exit. Off in the 66th. Big minutes from the prop.
4. James Blackwell – 5
Good work rate but faded as the game went on. Did the dirty work around the rucks effectively enough in the first half. Wasn’t really the lineout option on the day with most balls going to Savea or Prinsep. Disciplined game but became ineffective as he tired out.
5. Scott Scrafton – 4
Good pressure from the big man off the defensive line early. Worked hard to get up in Chiefs’ faces but didn’t have the same impact early in the second half despite going off in the 48th minute.
6. Reed Prinsep – 3
Was the Hurricanes’ second lineout option. Was rather quiet, handling clean out work and carried a few times. Got burned by Pita Gus Sowakula after a slow break from the scrum which led to the Chiefs finally taking the lead. Just didn’t have much impact at all and you have to think the Hurricanes need to try a new 6.
7. Du’Plessis Kirifi – 5
Really led from the front on defence with great line speed early. Won a holding on penalty midway through the first half. Looked promising with ball in hand multiple times on the right hand side. Applied pressure at many Chiefs breakdowns but gave away a penalty right on half-time to allow the Chiefs three points and close the gap to two. Got stripped in the tackle at a crucial moment just three minutes from the end, when the Hurricanes were pressing. Another penalty 30 seconds from time for slowing the ball sealed the game for the Chiefs. While Kirifi’s effort was outstanding, it was his execution that proved costly and he has to be marked down for that. Not his day.
8. Ardie Savea (c) – 6
Was the Hurricanes’ primary lineout option instead of the locking pair. Quick hands down the blind from a scrum play helped set up the Hurricanes’ second try. Had a good penalty on his opposite number after Sowakula had turned the ball over on first phase. Overall, it was an uncharacteristic game from Savea, who didn’t have his usual high-level impact until the last 15 minutes. Took a quick tap and scored an incredible try with the Chiefs napping with seven minutes to go.
9. TJ Perenara – 8
Great intercept try less than 60 seconds into the game. The Hurricanes looked to bring intense line speed early and Perenara snatched one from a Josh Ioane pass going through the motions of their shape. Was very accurate through the first half, passing with good timing and precision to build the Hurricanes’ phase play. His control of the game began to fade as play got a bit sloppy late in first half. Provided some good tempo to lift the Canes’ attack after they lost the lead. Played his guts out in defence, trying to get the Hurricanes back in the game. Off in 70th. Best on the field for the ill-disciplined Canes.
10. Jackson Garden-Bachop – 5
Beautiful quick hands down the blindside to set-up the Hurricanes second try. Had some struggles building chemistry with Barrett with a key pass going to ground as the attack looked promising. Looked to play for more field position late in the first half as the Hurricanes got a little sloppy. One good long range kick put Chiefs wing Emoni Narawa under pressure. Other than that, had a quiet game overall as the Hurricanes’ discipline imploded in the second half.
11. Wes Goosen – 5
Had an unlucky bounce for a would-be try on a chip-and-chase break, but he scored moments later down the blindside with a walk-in after a five-metre scrum. Penalised for not rolling away from the breakdown directly in front of the posts after defending in the 10 channel. Some good moments in kick coverage and was typically reliable.
12. Jordie Barrett – 6.5
Had a nice offload to Goosen early on the left edge for a half chance. He kicked five from seven off the tee, missing a sideline conversion and a long penalty attempt in first half. Took plenty of carries but played a little indirectly at first receiver from set piece when he looked to free the backs. Missed a developing opportunity with Garden-Bachop running a play out the back during phase play in the first half. Defended well with a couple of dominant hits and got aggressive in the second half, seemingly out of frustration. Had one great ball-and-all tackle on Nanai-Seturo on a set piece scrum. Looks like the transition to 12 will take time as it wasn’t immediately clicking.
13. Billy Proctor – 4
Some understated involvements in defence and at the ruck in the first half. Had a few first receiver touches during phase play. However, took a bad angle in the lead-up to the Chiefs’ second try, allowing Quinn Tupaea to make the initial break that was finished by Kaylum Boshier. His best play was a nice pullback pass on the set piece play leading to the Savea try. Off in 70th. He is just not the kind of strike centre the Hurricanes are used to having.
14. Julian Savea – 6
Reliable in the first half. Had some good carries against the grain and had to jam in a lot and recovered well when needed. In the second half, he finished his only opportunity by crashing over in the corner.
15. Ruben Love – 5
Looked dangerous on his first kick return and always looked promising taking when on the line. Ran incisive lines during set pieces. Set up a nice try to Julian Savea in the 67th minute with good injection into the line to give the Canes some hope. His running game was fantastic but was let down by his ball handling at the back. Wasn’t tested enough by the Chiefs under the high ball as it proved to be his kryptonite. Dropped his first one under pressure, losing sight of the ball in the sun. Had a great aerial take to start the second half, but then lost the ball placing it back. Lost another one cold on the run after taking it cleanly for three kick return turnovers. Went for a wild cutout pass on a scrum play that was picked off by Emoni Narawa. His last-ditch defence unfortunately didn’t save the day against the odds like Barrett often pulls off. He will be better for the run at 15 and definitely has a lot to offer in attack, just didn’t provide the stability needed on the day.
Reserves
16. James O’Reilly – N/A
17. Xavier Numia – 4
On at halftime. Had a weak clean out that cost Hurricanes the ball and momentum. Just seemed to tire out early.
18. Tevita Mafileo – 6
On in 66th. Great carry first up. Forced a turnover on defence. Has a big frame and looks like an intriguing prospect.
19. Caleb Delany – 6
On in 48th. Very tidy performance. Did a lot of clean up work and made good decisions.
20. Devan Flanders – N/A
21. Jamie Booth – 4
Had a good kick-chase that resulted in a penalty won with his effort at the ruck. Oddly offered terribly slow service when the Hurricanes needed to lift. Always paused an extra half second before getting the ball out. Needs to fix.
22. Bailyn Sullivan – N/A
On in 70th. Had one strong carry.
23. Josh Moorby – N/A
On in 66th. Didn’t see much action.
