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At Sky Stadium, Wellington: Hurricanes 34 (Cam Roigard 19’, 51’, Kini Naholo 29’, 54’, Dane Coles 70’ tries, Jordie Barrett pen, 3 con) Waratahs 17 (Nemani Nadolo 14’, Max Jorgensen 23’, Langi Gleeson 74’ tries, Ben Donaldson con). HT: 17-12
Kini Naholo’s Super Rugby debut at Sky Stadium couldn’t have gone much worse.
The Fijian winger tore his ACL after just 13 minutes, while playing for the Chiefs in 2020 – and he did not play at this level again for two years.
His Hurricanes debut, though, couldn’t have gone much better.
With his former All Black brother Waisake watching in the crowd, Naholo put his injury woes behind him to score two tries, both at crucial stages of the game, to give the Hurricanes a 34-17 win over the Waratahs on a blustery Friday night in Wellington.
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Halfback Cam Roigard also bagged a double as the Hurricanes defied the challenging conditions to run in five tries, bouncing back from their first defeat of the season, against the Blues last weekend, in style.
The 17-point win saw the Hurricanes claim their third scalp against Australian opposition this season and extended their unbeaten run against teams from across the ditch to 14.
Mark Tantrum/Getty Images
Hurricanes winger Kini Naholo dives across to score the first of his two tries.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring through a Jordie Barrett penalty kick, but it was the Waratahs who crossed for the first try after Julian Savea dropped the ball cold from the kick-off.
Former Crusaders star Nemani Nadolo scooped up the loose ball with his right hand and rode the tackle of Roigard to score in the left corner.
Roigard responded with a brilliant solo effort, throwing a dummy, pinning his ears back and flinging himself across the line by posts.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
Hulking Waratahs winger Nemani Nadolo brushes off Hurricanes fullback Josh Moorby.
Roigard looked like he had pulled off a try-saving tackle at the other end but 18-year-old fullback Max Jorgensen continued his breakout season by taking an offload from Taleni Seu and diving across in the left corner.
Jorgensen now has four tries in 2023.
But that was as good as it got from the Waratahs, who were coming off a shock loss to the Rebels.
Naholo scored his first try after stepping inside his defender, following a passage of quick hands from the Hurricanes backline, to give the home team a five-point halftime lead.
They scored the next three tries too, to put the game to bed, with Roigard and Naholo crossing in quick succession before Dane Coles added a fifth off the bench late on.
The Waratahs added a late consolation try when Langi Gleeson intercepted the ball and sprinted clear, but it was too little, too late.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
Hurricanes second-five Jordie Barrett is crunched in a tackle by Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble.
Big moment
After a nail-biting first half, the Hurricanes scored two tries off counter-attacks in quick succession early in the second half to take a commanding 17-point lead. That period of the game won’t make for easy viewing when the Waratahs review the tape. Roigard’s try came from a wayward ball, which Devan Flanders scooped up and chipped clear, and Naholo’s came off a Waratahs’ lineout throw, which Isaia Walker-Leawere was able to pick off.
MVP
The Hurricanes have not skipped a beat without injured All Black TJ Perenara, and they have Roigard to thank for that. The 22-year-old, who earned an invite on the All Blacks XV tour last year, was a standout on Friday, scoring two tries. But an important contribution that perhaps went under the radar was his booming 45-metre box kick, which alleviated a tone of pressure and ensured the Waratahs would not strike right before halftime.
Match rating
7/10. The weather kept the crowd away, but those who braved the conditions were treated to some brilliant attacking rugby, particularly in the first half. Seeing hulking Waratahs winger Nadolo at full flight was a sight to behold, and worth the price of admission alone.
Big picture
The Hurricanes have shot up to second on the table with a record of three wins and one defeat after maintaining their perfect record against Australian opposition in 2023. They are away to Moana Pasifika next Saturday but won’t be taking the expansion side lightly after slipping up against them last season.
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