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Hurricanes strike gold, as Reds fade

Fri, 07 May 2010 11:33

Look of a winner: Hurricanes No.8 Rodney So'oialo - Pic: Doug Fitz-Gerald

The Hurricanes have kept their Super 14 semifinal hopes alive, as they struck a rich vein of scoring - 36 points in as many minutes, virtually ending the Reds' hopes with a 44-21 victory in Wellington on Friday.

The delightful Reds, who promised so much, must now rely on other teams if they are to reach semifinal.

Just when it seemed they were well on their way to a bonus-point victory, and leading 21-8, the Reds then suddenly went for 50 minutes without scoring.

The match had an emotional beginning as Rodney So'oialo came onto the field first with his young children in Hurricane colours as the crowd honoured just the second player after Tana Umaga to play a hundred times for the Hurricanes. It would be a celebration all right. Gently the great player handed the baby to his daughter and then, not gently, he got stuck into the Reds.

It was a wonderful match, restoring your faith in rugby football as a handling game as the teams preferred running and passing to kicking.

The game started with the sides, especially the Reds, running. They had the wind at their backs but still the Reds did not know that kicking was an option. They ran and they threatened to run away with the Hurricanes as they kept the ball through phases, won a turnover, set Saia Faingaa running and looked so businesslike. But then centurion So'oialo took a short pass from Ma'a Nonu and burst away between the locks. The Hurricanes were attacking. A penalty gave them a line-out and they went left. Karl Lowe had a bash, Andrew Hore ploughed ahead and Aaron Cruden darted. Quick ball reached Hosea Gear who, right at the touch-line, swerved outside Rod Davies and gave inside to Cory Jane who scored. Against the run of play it may have been but it was also a message to the Reds that the Hurricanes, too, could play lively, profitable rugby.

They followed this up with a hectic attack after Piri Weepu stepped inside Will Genia. Their hands let them down but they had a penalty because Scott Higginbotham was offside. 8-0 after 15 minutes.

Then the Reds swept the Hurricanes aside as they raced to three tries, 21 points, in 13 minutes.

Cooper leapt up Aussie Rules fashion to catch a high kick and then Genia broke inside Neemia Tialata to speed effortlessly down the field. He gave inside to Higginbotham who strode the 22 metres to score at the posts. 8-7 after 17 minutes.

From a line-out Anthony Faingaa played inside to Davies and the fastest man on the field sped 40 metres to score at the posts. 14-8 to the Reds after 25 minutes.

Three minutes later, from a scrum, Anthony Faingaa played inside to Cooper who broke and grubbered a long way down into the Hurricanes' in-goal where Will Chambers beat Cruden and Gear to the ball to score the try.

The Reds looked imperious. The bonus point beckoned but it was not to be. They did not score again in 52 minutes.

Genia broke inside Tialata again and had Davies free on his outside only for the speedster to pull up with hamstring trouble and a good chance of another try went begging. That was the last chance.

The siren went to announce the end of the half when Higginbotham was penalised at a tackle near half-way. The Hurricanes tapped and went through phases, right and then left with Jane running clever. He gave to Gear who gave to him and then Jane played to Gear who powered over in Genia's tackle. 21-13.

The second half started disastrously for the Reds when young Andrew Shaw, playing in the place of  Daniel Braid, picked up Weepu and tipped him over. He went off to the sin bin. In the 10 minutes that the Reds played with 14 men the Hurricanes scored 14 points. It was an expensive absence.

First the Hurricanes mauled from a six-metre line-out. Jeremy Thrush was over but the TMO could not tell if he had grounded the ball.  The Hurricanes attacked from a five-metre scrum but Nonu knocked on a horrible pass from Weepu. The Hurricanes' eight put huge pressure on the Reds' seven at the scrum, Genia knocked the ball forward and Gear went over for his second try as Brando Va'aulu tackled him. Weepu converted from touch. 21-20 after 47 minutes.

Michael Paterson intercepted a Reds pass and galloped downfield to set the Hurricanes on the attack. They went right where Jane flipped an underarm pass to Jason Kawau who drew his man and sent Tamati Ellison racing 40 metres downfield. He swerved past Anthony Faingaa and scored. 27-21 after 51 minutes. That was the bonus-point try.

The next try was created by Cruden's cleverness. He gave to Nonu on the cut and was outside the hefty centre to take a pass and give to Gear who got his third. Again Weepu converted from touch.

Digby Ioane broke strongly but it was the Hurricanes who scored when Peter Hynes was penalised at a tackle and Weepu goaled.

Nonu grubbered ahead.  Va'aulu fell on the ball near his line, conceding a five-metre scrum to the Hurricanes. They did an 8-9 on the right and Weepu's pass beyond Hynes sent David Smith in.

That ended the scoring.

After the siren went the Reds were penalised but still the Hurricanes ran with the ball. They lost it and the Reds attacked in search of a bonus potent but were penalised and Nonu sidefooted the ball into touch.

Man of the match: Aaron Cruden was splendid, mixing cleverness and deft touches with strength, but there is every reason to name Rodney So'oialo as man of the match as he tackled, carried and competed for the ball.

Scorers:

For Hurricanes:
Tries: Jane, Gear 3, Tamati Ellison, Smith
Cons: Weepu 3
Pens: Weepu 2

For Reds:
Tries: Higginbotham, Davies, Chambers 
Cons: Cooper 3

Yellow card: Andrew Shaw (Reds, 41 - foul play, tip tackle)

Teams:

Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Tamati Ellison, 13 Jason Kawau, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Michael Paterson, 5 Bryn Evans, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore (captain), 1 Jacob Ellison.
Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 John Schwalger, 18 Nick Crosswell, 19 Scott Waldrom, 20 Tyson Keats, 21 Willie Ripia, 22 David Smith.

Reds: 15 Peter Hynes, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia (captain), 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Andrew Shaw, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Van Humphries, 4 Radike Samo, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ezra Taylor, 19 Jake Schatz, 20 Lei Tomiki, 21 Ben Lucas, 22 Brando Va'aulu.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Garratt Williamson (New Zealand)
TMO: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)

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