Savea double secures crucial win for Canes

The 27-20 win over the Highlanders in a wet Wellington on Friday saw the Hurricanes overtake their compatriots – the Highlanders – in third place in the New Zealand conference.

It was a crucial win ahead of the June break, with only three rounds remaining when the competition resumes in July.

Savea, one of five players dropped last week for missing a team curfew while on tour in South Africa, played a crucial role in a crucial game.

The win puts the Hurricanes two points ahead of the Highlanders in the ultra-competitive New Zealand conference, where the battle for finals spots is set to go down to the wire.

It also gives the Hurricanes some revenge after their heartbreaking loss to the Highlanders in the 2015 Final, the last time they hosted the Highlanders at Westpac Stadium.

Skipper Dane Coles said the Hurricanes were finally finding last year's red-hot form and it was a shame Super Rugby was heading into an international break after this round.

"It's unfortunate we have a break but we'll take a lot of confidence from this," he said, after the high-tempo contest despite wet conditions in Wellington.

"Once we come back we've got a big challenge and every game's a must-win for us."

The Hurricanes were bolstered by the return of the five suspended players, who included Julian Savea and his uncapped brother Ardie. Both appear set to be named Sunday in the All Blacks squad for the upcoming three-Test series against Wales.

Cory Jane, another returnee from the naughty corner, also excelled, playing a part in the Hurricanes first two tries.

The 53-Test wing, who last played for the All Blacks in November 2014, is tipped to head to Japan at the end of the season if he is omitted from the squad to face Wales.

He sparked the opening try in the 13th minute when his break on the wing started an attack that culminated in Ardie Savea racing past his markers to dot down between the posts.

Jane was involved again when TJ Perenara burst from the back of a scrum and the wing flicked the ball on to Brad Shields for the Hurricanes' second five-pointer.

Lima Sopoaga clawed one back for the Highlanders, powering through Victor Vito's tackle after Malakai Fekitoa's run set him up.

Sopoaga almost created another with an audacious backwards chip kick but the Highlanders lost possession and went into the break trailing 17-7.

They caught the Hurricanes napping early in the second half, with Dan Lienert-Brown scoring a try two minutes after the restart.

With the scores locked at 20-20 in the final minutes, a wayward Beauden Barrett penalty kick appeared to have squandered the Hurricanes' chance of victory.

But Savea seized the ball at the breakdown and charged over to seal the win at the death.

Man of the Match: Ben Smith, as usual, and Lima Sopoaga were the Highlanders' best players. TJ Perenara and Brad Shields were among the Hurricanes' most productive players, but none were better than flank Ardie Savea – who was rewarded for his effort with two tries, including a match-winning score, and he gets our award.

The scorers:

For the Hurricanes:

Tries: A Savea 2, Shields

Cons: Barrett 2

Pens: Barrett 2

For the Highlanders:

Tries: Sopoaga, Lienert-Brown

Cons: Sopoaga 2

Pens: Sopoaga, Banks

Teams:

Hurricanes: 15 James Marshall, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Vince Aso, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Michael Fatialofa, 4 Blade Thomson, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles (captain), 1 Reggie Goodes.

Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Loni Uhila, 19 Mark Vaea Fifita, 20 Callum Gibbins, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Ngani Laumape, 23 Jason Woodward.

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Matt Faddes, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Dan Pryor, 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Alex Ainley, 3 Josh Hohneck, 2 Ash Dixon, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown.

Replacements: 16 Greg Pleasants-Tate, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Siosiua Halanukonuka, 19 Mark Reddish, 20 Liam Squire, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Teihorangi Walden.

Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand), Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)

TMO: Aaron Peterson (New Zealand)

WHAT #HURvHIG pic.twitter.com/WuKDxSxuUV

— Kimberlee Downs (@KimberleeDowns) May 27, 2016