Ben Lam hat-trick powers Hurricanes to 28-19 win over Lions

Hurricanes 28 - 19 Lions, Westpac Stadium
Scorecard

Ben Lam scored a hat-trick of tries as Hurricanes went on to beat Lions 28-19 in their Super Rugby face-off at Westpac Stadium on Saturday.

The win meant Hurricanes have narrowed down the gap with top placed Crusaders to two points in New Zealand Conference while Lions continue to top the South African Conference despite the defeat.

Lam made an impact in the eighth minute when he overcame defence from Ruan Combrink and Lionel Mapoe to score the opening try with Beauden Barrett slotting the conversion. Lions tried to bounce back but were put off by a strong defence from the hosts and things went from bad to worse for the visitors when Malcolm Marx left the field due to a leg injury.

The lead for Hurricanes doubled when Ardie Savea crossed over in the 25th minute and once again Barrett improved it to make it 14-0. Just at the stroke of half-time, Lions opened their account when Nic Groom crashed past the line at close quarters and a conversion from Elton Jantjies ensured teams ended the first half with a 14-7 scoreline.

Lam ensured Hurricanes claimed the bonus point with back to back touchdowns in the 44th and 53rd minutes and Barrett's conversions meant made it 28-7. From there on despite tries from Marnus Schoeman (57') and Sylvian Mahuza (75') Lions fell short by nine points.

HIGHLIGHTS: 2018 Super Rugby Week 12: Hurricanes v Lions
The @LionsRugbyCo keeping it competitive with a last minute try in the first but the @Hurricanesrugby proved too much by the final whistle.https://t.co/Id7hTh3f9M #SuperRugby #highlights

— Super Rugby (@SuperRugby) May 5, 2018