Defence Wins Championships - Cory Jane on Hurricanes 2016 title triumph

The Hurricanes suffered an embarrassing 52-10 defeat to the Brumbies in Canberra in their first game of the 2016 Super Rugby season.

Phil Kearns, a Wallabies Rugby World Cup winner and Fox Sports commentator, described the Hurricanes as “fat” and “unfit” after that performance.

Five months and 14 wins after that humiliating start on February 26, the Hurricanes won their first Super Rugby title on August 6. They beat South Africa’s Lions 20-6 in a cold, wet final at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

In the 23rd minute of the final, veteran winger Cory Jane scored the Hurricanes’ first try. Lions centre Lionel Mapoe’s defensive kick landed right in the hands of the All Blacks winger, who had 54 caps.

“Honestly, I scored that try with my eyes closed while falling over,” Jane laughed with RugbyPass. “I had one disallowed earlier.”

“Still, it was a proud moment. I was 33 years old and ten years into my Hurricanes career. It felt great not only to win but also to make a real contribution.

“The Lions had a strong team, with a big Saffa pack and an electric backline that played expansively. The first time I truly believed we could win the title was when we beat them in Johannesburg. We put on an offensive, defensive clinic.”

Jane scored two tries in the Hurricanes’ 50-17 win over the Lions on April 30. But their turnaround really began after the Brumbies’ loss, when they decided to change their defensive system.

“The Brumbies game was so awful that a few of us asked Plum (John Plumtree) if we could change how we defend,” Jane recalled.

“Most teams then used an umbrella-style defence, which Sir Wayne Smith had mastered. You would hold your line and then push forward. We wanted to try a more aggressive rush defence.

Plum thought it was a good idea because some teams had forwards with skills similar to those of outside backs, so if we pressured them, it would take away their time. It was a point of difference. Guys like Willis Halaholo and Vaea Fifita loved crushing people.

“It’s unusual to say this about the Hurricanes, but defence won us that championship. By the final, we were hoping for rain because our defence was dominating teams.”

Still, the fifth-placed Hurricanes needed some last-round fortune to top the regular season standings. Evidence that their new defensive blueprint was working came at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, where they smashed the Crusaders 35-10, outscoring the hosts five tries to one.

When the top-ranked Chiefs lost 25-15 to the Highlanders, and Argentina’s Jaguares upset the Lions 34-22, the Hurricanes jumped into first place and secured home advantage for the final.

In the playoffs, the Hurricanes shut out the Sharks 41-0, beat the Chiefs 25-9, and held the Lions to just 3 points in the final, going 301 minutes without conceding a try. Loose forward Victor Vito marked his 100th Hurricanes game in the decider.

The Hurricanes’ ruthless resolve could be traced back to 2015. Even though they topped the round robin, they were shocked in a home final, 21-14, by the Highlanders.

“That was disappointing. It still sucks to be honest,” lamented Jane.

“I didn’t play in that final. I was injured and running the water. The game was so fast that I didn’t get on the field for 20 minutes. The Highlanders’ tactics caught us off guard, and we struggled to convey important messages. It was one of those games where we needed to handle the big moments better. We didn’t, but that loss definitely motivated us in 2016.”

Remarkably, Jane almost joined the Western Force in 2012, which would likely have meant missing the 2016 season with the Hurricanes.

The 2011 season was a tumultuous one for the Hurricanes. They finished ninth with a mediocre 5 wins in 18 matches.

When Mark Hammett, a four-time Super Rugby champion with the Crusaders, became coach in 2012, he pushed for a new team culture. This led to 2011 Rugby World Cup winners Ma’a Nonu, Piri Weepu, and Andrew Hore leaving the Hurricanes. Jane, also a World Cup winner, was ready to go too, until captain Conrad Smith got involved.

“Conrad asked me, ‘Do you love the Hurricanes?’” Jane recalled.

“Of course I do,” I replied. “I’m not playing for another Kiwi team.” Conrad replied, “But you’d play for the Aussies?”

Jane, who has strong ties to Upper Hutt, chose to stay and now sees the 2012 season as the beginning of the Hurricanes’ rise.

“It was hard to say goodbye to Hory, Ma’a, and Piri. They’re my mates, but there’s no doubt Hammer made some positive changes to our culture and structure,” Jane said.

“When Chris Boyd came in, things progressed further. He gave us a lot of freedom to express ourselves while holding us accountable to high standards.

“For me, joining the leadership group was a big change. At first, I felt like I was thrown in the deep end and didn’t know what to do. It takes time to learn the craft. It was great to share those responsibilities with Dane Coles and Conrad Smith.”

Today, Jane is making a big impact as a coach. In 2025, he was the assistant coach for the unbeaten All Blacks XV in the UK and France. In 2026, he is an assistant coach for the Hurricanes, who are leading the table heading into Round 10.

The Hurricanes have scored 50 or more points in a game four times in seven matches, matching the records of the 2005 Crusaders, 2010 Bulls, 2016 Chiefs, 2018 Waratahs, and their own freewheeling 2017 team.

On Saturday night, the Hurricanes overwhelmed the second-placed Blues 42-19. Callum Harkin scored two tries and led the game in metres carried and line-breaks. His versatile skills are similar to Jane’s, and he also has a former All Blacks Sevens winger, Fehi Fineanganofo, cooking.

Fineanganofo has scored 10 tries in seven matches, including hat-tricks in back-to-back games against the Highlanders (50-7) and Reds (52-14). George Bridge and Cheslin Kolbe in 2017 are the only other players to achieve that feat.

Cory Jane is Hurricane #124. He played 121 Super Rugby games, winning 74 and scoring 32 tries.