Laumape, West help Hurricanes edge out Sharks 38-37

Hurricanes 38-37 Sharks, Napier

Ngani Laumape scored a vital try in the added minutes while Ihaia West added the decisive conversion as Hurricanes went on to register a thrilling 38-37 win over Sharks in their Super Rugby clash in Napier.

The win means Hurricanes have maintained their position at the top of New Zealand Conference with 23 points while Sharks are at second place in South African Conference with 14 points.

The first points in the game came in the 5th minute when Sharks fly-half Robert du Preez kicked a penalty after Hurricanes were penalised for off-side. The response from Hurricanes came three minutes later when TJ Perenara, Laumape and West combined to send Jordie Barrett over the line though the conversion was missed.

Hurricanes further extended their lead with West once again offloading to Laumape this time in the 16th minute as their second try increased the hosts' lead to nine points after the conversion from the fly-half.

Unwilling to relent, Sharks showed a tremendous comeback with back to back tries coming from centre Lukhanyo Am and scrum-half Louis Schreuder in the 20th and 24th minutes respectively while du Preez slotted the extras on both the occasions. With the scoreline being 12-17, West once again played a pivotal role as the third try came from Vince Aso.

As the half-time was approaching, Am with his second try with du Preez's penalty and conversion on either side ensured the visitors reached 19-27 heading into the break.

West reduced the gap between the two teams to five points with an early penalty in the second half following which both the fly-halves traded penalties. Sharks had a 25-30 lead as the final 10 minutes kicked-off and replacement Tyler Paul crashed past the line in the 73rd minute to further raise their hopes but a double penalty goal from West kept Hurricanes in the hunt.

Sharks gave Hurricanes an opportunity with Franco Marais sin-binned in the added minutes for a cynical foul and the home side made full use of the numerical advantage with a try from Laumape that reduced the trail to one point and West's conversion seal a one point victory for the New Zealand regional side.