by Roger Childs
… the ‘Canes racked up 60 points in what was a truly dominant thrashing of the second-best club in the tournament this year, who managed just five points in reply. –Planet Rugby, 20 June 2026
They led the competition for most of the season, but could they win the finals? The Wellington Hurricanes astounded the pundits with finals scores of 66-16, 57-12 and 60-5: an average of 61 to 11! Over 30,000 fans in the capital’s Caketin couldn’t believe Saturday night’s fnal – nine tries, six conversions and a penalty to one try that may have been short! The home side played with the wind in the first half and Chiefs’ kicker Damian McKenzie got an early lesson in coping with the weather when his kick off didn’t make the Hurricanes 10 metre mark and drifted back to the half way.
Playing with the wind works on the principle of getting runs on the board and letting the opposition play catch-up. The ‘Canes duly scored 29 unanswered points in the first 40 minutes but then amazingly added 31 in the second half!
Not matching the power play on the park
The best that can be said of the Chiefs is that they never gave up. But their times of dominance were very few and they just couldn’t match the power, possession and precision of the home side. Stars during round-robin matches such as Quinn Tupaea and Damian McKenzie were nullified by close marking, and not allowing them the freedom to run any distance. In the forwards Luke Jacobson, Josh Lord, Samisoni Taukei’aho toiled hard, but never gained dominance in the tight play.
Was there a problem with the coaching strategy? Jono Gibbs seemed to be content in playing into the wind to focus on keeping the Hurricanes’ score down and wait for the inevitable Chiefs surge after the break. This compared with the home’s team’s determination to keep scoring tries in the second forty with the wind in their faces.
Unfortunately with what limited possession they had, the visitors turned over a lot of ball and sometimes kicked it away.
Playing to a winning formula
The Hurricanes have waited 10 years to win the Super-Rugby trophy and they were not going to let the opportunity slip. They were strong up front getting plenty of ball in the set pieces and this possession was used very effectively by half back Cam Roigard who distributed it quickly. At first five, “player of the match” Reuben Love, had a brilliant game feeding his outsides efficiently and running with speed and unexpected changes of direction. He capped off the match by scoring the final try with a dramatic dive into the corner.
Jordie Barrett was the key man in mid field and often threw long passes wide to the wings – a tactics that has resulted in so many tries to wingers Josh Moorby and Fehi Finenangaofo in the 2026 games. They ended the final with each having a scored a record 18 tries for a Super Rugby season.
All the forwards played well with Asafo Aumua throwing accurately into the lineout and running powerfully in the loose; Warner Dearns taking plenty of lineout ball and charging effectively in the open, and co-captain Du’Plessis Kirifi leading by example in the tight and loose.
The fitness of the Hurricanes was a key factor in their success, as was their understanding of what their fellow players were going to do and their shear enjoyment in setting their team mates up for breaks and tries. It was no surprise that the capital team slaughtered the next best side on Saturday to take the country premier rugby trophy! It may not happen again.