Hurricanes overwhelm Waratahs with nine-try blitz

Hurricanes 57-12 Waratahs, Sky Stadium

The Hurricanes produced a ruthless and clinical performance to dismantle the NSW Waratahs 57-12 at Sky Stadium in Wellington, extending their winning streak against the Australian side to eight consecutive matches in Super Rugby Pacific.

With nine tries, relentless pace, and an unforgiving defensive line, the Hurricanes left the Waratahs shell-shocked and scoreless for most of the second half.

The visitors struck first blood early in the contest. Just three minutes into the match, Max Jorgensen found space out wide and dived over the line, giving the Waratahs an early 5-0 advantage. However, any sense of momentum for the Australians was short-lived.

In the 10th minute, Hurricanes scrum-half Cam Roigard answered with a sniping run from the base of a ruck to level the score.

Five minutes later, Roigard was at it again, this time finishing off a slick backline movement that exposed the Waratahs' disjointed defense. Ruben Love converted both tries, pushing the Hurricanes into a 14-5 lead.

The pressure continued to mount on the Waratahs as the Hurricanes turned up the intensity. In the 20th minute, No. 8 Brayden Iose powered over from close range following multiple phases inside the 22.

Ten minutes later, winger Kini Naholo made it four tries for the home side, finishing in the corner after some superb interplay down the blindside.

By halftime, the Hurricanes had built a commanding 26-5 lead, leaving the Waratahs with a mountain to climb.

The Waratahs opened the second half brightly and were briefly rewarded. In the 42nd minute, Dylan Pietsch crossed the line following a well-executed lineout play, and Tane Edmed added the conversion to reduce the deficit to 26-12.

But that would be their final score of the match.

The Hurricanes responded with a burst of five unanswered tries in the remaining half-hour, turning the match into a rout. Riley Hohepa, making an impressive impact off the bench, struck twice in quick succession — in the 58th and 61st minutes — both coming from quick recycling and wide passing that left the Waratahs scrambling.

In the 68th minute, centre Billy Proctor burst through two defenders to extend the lead further. As the Waratahs began to collapse under pressure, Kini Naholo added his second try of the night in the 78th minute, sprinting down the sideline untouched after a long, looping pass from TJ Perenara.

Capping it all off, Ruben Love dotted down in the final minute to add insult to injury and push the score to 57-12. It was a complete dismantling — the Hurricanes ending with nine tries from seven different scorers.