Brett Cameron kicked the Hurricanes to victory in opposition to the Chiefs. Photograph / Getty Photographs
Hurricanes 20
Chiefs 17
When two respectable title contenders conflict within the last levels of an everyday season, there’s the chance that the assembly doesn’t fairly meet expectations.
There have been no such issues when the Chiefs and Hurricanes battled in Hamilton on Friday evening.
In a recreation the place momentum swung like a pendulum, the Hurricanes triumphed in entrance of a sold-out crowd, strolling away with a 20-17 win.
With either side locked right into a top-four spot, it was an indication of issues to come back when the competitors involves the enterprise finish. It was bodily, quick, loads of ability was on show and it consistently felt like one massive play might in the end show decisive.
That second got here within the 79th minute when Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson was penalised for not rolling away after a dominant deal with on Jordie Barrett. It appeared Jacobson had been pinned in after touchdown on high of Barrett after the deal with and couldn’t go anyplace, but it surely gave Brett Cameron a shot from 41m out to win it and the not too long ago resigned No 10 made no errors.
It closed out a recreation the place there have been spectacular performances throughout the park. Hurricanes midfield duo Barrett and Billy Proctor had been once more within the thick of issues for his or her aspect, Xavier Numia – who scored the primary strive of the evening with a formidable solo effort – confirmed his X-factor alongside a stable evening on the set piece, whereas Cameron and Peter Lakai continued their stable campaigns.
For the Chiefs, Emoni Narawa impressed on either side of the ball, with some sturdy defensive moments in opposition to his reverse Kini Naholo. Anton Lienert-Brown adopted swimsuit with certainly one of his finest performances of the season, whereas Jacobson defended with intent, and Aidan Ross, Samisoni Taukei’aho and George Dyer put in busy shifts.
It might need been one which obtained away from the hosts in the end, as they couldn’t capitalise on the Hurricanes spending half-hour of the match with a person off the sector.
Raymond Tuputupu had his seventh-minute yellow card upgraded to a pink for a excessive shot on Tupou Vaa’i – Vaa’i considerably decreasing his physique peak into contact was not sufficient to mitigate the contact – whereas Naholo was sin-binned for being offside on the ruck within the 58th minute. The Chiefs spent 10 minutes with a person off the pitch themselves, with Kaylum Boshier taking a seat for a cynical foul after being dominated to have deliberately tried to wrap his leg round T.J. Perenara on the ruck.
It was the Hurricanes who opened the scoring nevertheless, with Numia charging onto a brief ball from Lakai to run about 30m and energy over the road within the nineteenth minute. Barrett went over off a slick lineout transfer from distance after 33 minutes, and the Hurricanes held a 14-0 lead on the break.
For a lot of the primary half, the Chiefs discovered themselves defending or working the ball out of their very own finish, however that modified instantly within the first half as they scored via Narawa lower than a minute after play restarted.
Whereas a Cameron penalty prolonged the lead, some good work from Wallace Sititi off the again of a halted lineout drive allowed him to beat a few defenders to attain, and a Damian McKenzie penalty levelled issues up.
In the end, it got here right down to Cameron’s boot; his penalty sending the Hurricanes again to the highest of the ladder – at the least till the Blues’ conflict in opposition to the Crusaders.
Hurricanes 20 (Xavier Numia, Jordie Barrett tries; Brett Cameron 2 cons, 2 pen)
Chiefs 17 (Emoni Narawa, Wallace Sititi tries; Damian McKenzie 2 cons, pen)
HT: 14-0
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports activities group in 2017, bringing the identical versatility to his protection as he does to his sports activities viewing habits.
