Vince Aso led a nine-try rout as the Wellington Hurricanes returned to winning form with a 61-7 victory over the Central Cheetahs in their Super Rugby clash in Wellington yesterday.
The bonus-point win lifted the defending champions to second in the New Zealand conference, overtaking the Waikato Chiefs, who lost to the front-running Canterbury Crusaders on Friday.
A week on from their tryless performance when they were also beaten by the Crusaders, the defending champions rediscovered the route to the tryline led by Aso, who touched down three times.
Photo: AFP
It was not champagne rugby in the first half with the ’Canes scoring three tries to turn with a 21-7 lead, but they opened up after the break with a further six tries and 40 points.
They finished with a club record scoreline over the Cheetahs, easily exceeding the 60-27 win in their previous game in Wellington two years ago.
In the first half, two tries in three minutes midway through the spell snapped an evenly fought first quarter.
Photo: AFP
The opening points came from a comedy of errors when the Hurricanes lost possession with an attacking scrum.
However, when Raymond Rhule tried to run the Cheetahs out of trouble, he fired a wayward pass to Hurricanes lock Vaea Fifita, who cantered over the line unopposed.
From the restart, the Hurricanes were much more assured when they immediately stormed back on the attack for Aso to score his first try.
However, from looking like championship contenders one minute, the Hurricanes just as quickly lost their composure as they opened a path for Fred Zeilinga to score the Cheetahs only try.
It was not until just on halftime that Ardie Savea bagged the Hurricanes’ third try when he barreled over from close range.
The Cheetahs effort could not be faulted. They were prepared to attack from all areas and defended gallantly, but they suffered from basic errors and did not help themselves at the start of the second half when Elandre Huggett received a yellow card.
While he was off the field the Hurricanes added 14 points with tries to Aso and T.J. Perenara, with Aso’s second ending a length-of-the-field move sparked by his midfield partner, Ngani Laumape.
Their double act featured again when another Laumape break and chip-kick produced Aso’s third try.
The pair are the top try-scorers in this year’s competition, Aso has 13 and Laumape 11.
Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Ben Lam and Leni Apisai also scored for the Hurricanes, while Beauden Barrett landed five conversions and Otere Black kicked three.
With the pressure on the New Zealand players to impress the All Blacks selectors ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour next month, Barrett took over the kicking duties for the Hurricanes and had a 100 percent record until he was replaced.
In doing so he proved a better marksman than the Chiefs’ Aaron Cruden, who managed only one from three against the Crusaders before letting regular kicker Damian McKenzie take over.
In Australia, the Otago Highlanders thrashed the Western Force 55-6 at the NIB Stadium in Perth, but the weekend was not all fun and games for New Zealand-based sides against others.
Auckland Blues coach Tana Umaga conceded their Super Rugby season is all but over after the side slumped to a 30-22 loss to the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday.
The side’s sixth loss of the campaign left them five points adrift of the Highlanders, who hold the third and final playoff berth in the Australasian group.
“We always knew we had to win every game to be in contention,” Umaga said in comments published by New Zealand media yesterday. “We obviously didn’t do that tonight. It’s disappointing, but we’ve still got games to play and we want to make sure we finish on the right note. If we do get some results go our way you just never know.”
In the final game last night, the South Africa-based Sharks downed Japanese club the Sunwolves 38-17 at the Singapore National Stadium.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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