Wellington (AFP) – Samoa’s Asafo Aumua was instrumental in the Super Rugby grand final, looking like a threat every time he touched the ball, consistently powering through the defense to break tackles and gain critical post-contact meters down the middle.
Aumua looked like a threat every time he touched the ball, and despite gale-force wind conditions making handling incredibly difficult, Aumua executed flawlessly, hitting targets on nearly all lineout throws.
The Wellington Hurricanes ended a dominant season by blowing away the Waikato Chiefs 60-5 in Saturday’s Super Rugby final to secure their first title in a decade.
The home side seemed to revel in the gale-force Wellington winds. They scored four of their nine tries in the first half to lead 29-0, outplaying a Chiefs team who were beaten finalists for a fourth successive year.
It was a record winning margin for a Super Rugby final, surpassing the 44-point gap when South Africa’s Bulls beat the Chiefs 61-17 in 2009. The Hurricanes also smashed the records for most tries (113) and most points (745) in a season.
Josh Moorby grabbed a double and Fehi Fineanganofo crossed once to leave both Hurricanes wingers on 17 tries for the season, another record. Moorby could not fault his team’s performance. “We’ve got a special group of players here, the culture here is one of the best I’ve been a part of,” he told Sky Sport.
“We’ve got a lot of boys leaving — I think it’s 12 or 13 — so to send them off in the right way is something special.
“It’s just such a great effort against a really strong Chiefs team.”
The visitors had no answer to the Hurricanes’ slick passing game and fluent running lines that constantly put players into space.
A dominant pack also laid the platform for scrum-half Cam Roigard and fellow All Black Jordie Barrett at inside centre to control play.
Hurricanes fly-half Ruben Love crossed for two tries to finish with 25 points, including a 50-metre penalty goal on the stroke of halftime.
His Chiefs opposite Damian McKenzie had a game to forget, the gusty wind playing havoc with his kicking game, with the visitors forced to defend for much of the final.
It was the Hurricanes’ second championship title after their 2016 triumph.
The Chiefs have not added to their two titles, won in 2012 and 2013, despite contesting five of the past six finals and hammering defending champions the Canterbury Crusaders 49-12 in the semi-finals.
Their hopes were again frustrated even before the break after tries by Moorby, Love, Fineanganofo and Callum Harkin.
Moorby bagged his second soon after the restart and tries then followed for Devan Flanders, Jone Rova, Barrett and Love.
A late try by replacement Naitoa Ah Kuoi ensured the Chiefs did not become the first team to be held scoreless in a Super Rugby final.
Chiefs centre Quinn Tupaea, who was named this week the competition’s player of the year, said his team were never in the contest.
“They’re a classy side and they killed us straight away,” Tupaea said.
“We were up against it the whole game. We struggled for possession, lots of errors and their attack was too classy for us. Good side.”
Vacancies
Post Views: 840
