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Billy Proctor flirting with Julian Savea's records in flying start to 2026
By Adam Julian
Billy Proctor has made a sparkling start to Super Rugby Pacific. The All Blacks and Hurricanes centre is among the top ten in the competition for tries (5), points scored (25), clean breaks (7), and defenders beaten (13).
Proctor has scored tries in each of the first three matches this year, something a Hurricanes player hasn’t done since 2017, when Julian Savea scored in each of the first five matches.
In the Hurricanes’ 59-19 thrashing of the Waratahs in Sydney on Friday night, Proctor scored a second-half hat-trick. He also led the Hurricanes in carries (11), metres gained (65), linebreaks (3), and defenders beaten (4).
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Proctor has scored 25 tries in 71 matches for the Hurricanes. Six have come against the Waratahs, one short of Julian Savea’s Hurricanes record of seven.
“We were still hurting from our loss in Fiji. We prepared well with a real emphasis on attacking space,” Proctor told RugbyPass.
“When we’re able to throw the ball around, we have the talent to shine. We noticed the best way to do that against the Waratahs was to go to the edges. They had a rush defence that would press in. We were accurate in our execution.
“I guess the Waratahs weren’t helped when Joseph Sua’ali’i went down in the warm-up. He’s a quality player, really hard to stop in space.”
The Hurricanes equalled their record for most points scored in the second half of a Super Rugby match. They had previously scored 42 points in the second half against the Brumbies in Napier in 2017 (won 56-21) and against Moana Pasifika at Wellington in 2023 (won 71-22).
A second-half dip was a major reason for the 25-20 loss to the Fijian Drua in Lautoka in the previous round. The visitors were outscored 12-3 in the second 40 minutes, with handling akin to juggling wet soap.
“I haven’t played in conditions like that for a long time. When you throw in the heat and the crowd, it’s a pretty hostile environment,” Proctor said.
“One of their strengths is to play freely without structure. They can be hard to stop when they’ve got momentum, as they’ve shown with their good home record.
“We went away from the game plan a little bit. We know we can be impactful when we stick to it or read space.”
Proctor’s ability to make space and defend (he’s made 77 of his last 88 tackles for the Hurricanes) was key in the Wellington Lions’ NPC championship wins in 2022 and 2024 and his All Blacks selection.
After scoring tries in his first two Test wins against Fiji (47-5) and Japan (64-19), a far tougher examination of his international credentials came in 2025, when he featured in nine of a possible 13 Tests.
Proctor started both Tests against the World Champion Springboks. Those matches showed the All Blacks at their best and worst in a turbulent campaign that saw head coach Scott Robertson sacked after 20 wins in 27 Tests.
The All Blacks extended their unbeaten streak at Eden Park to 52 consecutive games with a clinical, gutsy 24-17 win. A week later, in Wellington, the All Blacks were embarrassed by a record 43-10, conceding 36 unanswered points in the second half.
“In Auckland, it was wet, and there was a lot of kicking. We managed to play in the right areas of the field, take our chances and force them into mistakes,” Proctor reflected.
“We were confident heading into Wellington. We were leading at halftime, playing decent footy.
“I threw an intercept to Cheslin Kolbe, which didn’t help. They got some momentum and embraced running rugby with some young guys in there, and the score got away from us.
“When we lost to England, we had opportunities and left points out there. I guess things will properly change with the new coaches, but I don’t feel like it was all negative.”
Proctor has started Super Rugby 2026 well enough to earn a rest for the Hurricanes’ fifth round clash with the Western Force at McLean Park in Napier on Friday night.
The Hurricanes will be heavily favoured to beat the tourists with a 13-2 head-to-head advantage, although the two teams drew 17-17 in their last clash in Perth in Round 10, 2025. The Hurricanes have lost only one of their last 15 regular-season games against Australian opposition. The Force have won only two of their last 26 matches in New Zealand. The Hurricanes have an 11-3 record at McLean Park, with their last defeat there a 26-14 loss to the Bulls in 2011. The Force last beat the Hurricanes 27-22 in May 2022.
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