Captain Ardie Savea yesterday scored a match-winning try in the final minute to lift the Wellington-based Hurricanes to a 33-32 win over the Auckland-based Blues in the second round of Super Rugby Pacific.
The Hurricanes trailed 32-14 in the 71st minute, but came storming home with two late tries to secure their first win of the season after an opening-round loss to the Christchurch-based Crusaders.
First winger Salesi Rayasi completed a hat-trick of tries by touching down in the left-hand corner with nine minutes remaining to move the Hurricanes to within six points of the Blues.
Photo: AFP
Center Bailyn Sullivan, who was the Hurricanes’ best player, made an outside break and timed his pass to Savea, who sprinted down the right touch, cut infield and pushed off two defenders to score under the posts.
The conversion clinched the Hurricanes’ win, but still there was drama. The Blues disputed the conversion, claiming it had not passed between the posts, and several replays were needed before the Hurricanes’ win was confirmed.
“I’m lost for words, lost for words,” a breathless Savea said. “I’m just proud of the boys. We had about eight minutes to go and we were down by 10 or 12 and the messages just were to do our next job and do it with intent.”
In Australia, the ACT Brumbies followed up their 29-23 first-round win over the Western Force with a 42-3 win over the Fijian Drua, which lost its second straight match.
The Brumbies led 20-3 at halftime against the Drua and expanded that lead to 32-3 after 55 minutes.
The Drua then held the Brumbies scoreless for the next 22 minutes in a positive sign for the Super Rugby newcomers.
The Brumbies finally broke through with a 77th-minute try to replacement Jesse Mogg.
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