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Hurricanes winger Julian Savea is closing in on Super Rugby’s all-time try-scoring record.
The former All Black claimed his 58th career try in the Hurricanes’ huge 47-13 first round win over the Reds in Townsville on Saturday night to move him within just two of record holder Israel Folau.
Savea showed great strength to ride a tackle from Lawson Creighton and dive across to score in the 72nd minute following a burst down the right edge from replacement hooker Asafo Aumua, after Savea’s younger brother Ardie won a turnover on halfway by ripping the ball from his opponent’s hands.
Savea is back level with TJ Perenara as the Hurricanes’ joint leading try scorer, but with Perenara sidelined with a long-term Achilles injury, it is Savea who looks best placed to challenge for the overall record in 2023.
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* Found, then lost: The curious tug of war over Julian Savea’s missing tries
Former Blues speedster Doug Howlett with 59 is the only other player to have scored more Super Rugby tries than Savea, Perenara and Caleb Ralph, who are joint third on the all-time list.
The Hurricanes overcame scorching conditions in North Queensland, with temperatures soaring in the high 20s during the match, to secure their eighth straight win over the Reds, starting the season in style.
Coach Jason Holland lauded his team’s depth after switching out his entire front row at halftime, with Aumua in particular providing massive impact off the bench after replacing veteran Dane Coles as the Hurricanes scored 31 unanswered points in the second half to blow the Reds away.
The flood gates opened when the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty try early four minutes into the second half after Reds dragged down their maul with Aumua appearing certain to score from the back.
The Hurricanes ran in six tries to the Reds’ one with Aumua playing a major part in three of them. His rampaging run through the middle set up halfback Cam Roigard midway through the second half.
Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images
Reds centre Hunter Paisami attempts to stop Hurricanes winger Julian Savea during their Super Rugby Pacific opener.
“It was awesome to get a win of that magnitude up in Townsville. I’m really happy with the outcome,” Holland said. “A lot of the things we worked on around having a bit of ticker and making sure we hang in and are ruthless and put teams away was really satisfying.
“We still have so much growth in our game and so many places that we can be better but the overriding thing was it was awesome to get a bonus point win up here with boys hanging on for dear life for the last 20 minutes of the game.
“In the first half we’d do something really well and then wouldn’t take care of a kick off, but in the second half we got a lot better at that and we were really sharp and took the opportunities that came our way.
“We haven’t won our first game for a few years but I feel like we deserved that. The boys have put in massive shifts and the work our squad and our management have put in over the past couple of months, it’s awesome to get the reward of a bonus point win and it sets up [nicely for the rest of the season].”
It was the first time since 2019 the Hurricanes had won their opening game and they will be looking to make it back-to-back wins on the road, with the Rebels up next in Melbourne during the Super Round.
The Rebels coughed up a nine-point halftime lead to lose their opening game against the Force in Perth.
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