Hurricanes vs Crusaders: Only two true Kiwi contenders, Bluesprint in full effect

The Crusaders escaped Wellington with a win, but only narrowly after some poor decisions late in the piece compounded pressure in the windy city.

Leading 31-10 heading into the final quarter of the contest, two yellow cards in quick succession further invigorated an already eager Hurricanes outfit, and in the dying moments, there were mere metres standing between the hosts and a score-levelling try.

Possession was lost in the driving maul and the clutch efforts of Hurricanes flankers Du’Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai were ultimately to no avail outside of a losing bonus point.

Here are some takeaways from the contest.

Only two true contenders in New Zealand

The Hurricanes had a slow start to the 2025 season, but even with some more promising showings over recent weeks, the team are still outside the playoff picture and still haven’t proven they could make much noise if they are to sneak in.

As it stands, the Wellingtonians are the most likely Kiwi outfit to join the Crusaders and Chiefs in the top six, but with just three wins from eight games, they’re a far cry from the side that claimed the top spot on the 2024 table.

Clark Laidlaw’s men are excelling when it comes to winning turnovers and beating tackles, leading the competition in the latter metric, but are steadily middle of the pack in all other areas.

A season ago the Hurricanes were carrying, kicking, offloading and ultimately scoring at a significantly higher clip than they are today.

While stars like Du’Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai inject momentum with big plays on a weekly basis – the latter produced perhaps his best showing of the season tonight – it’s clear their other game-breakers are struggling to make an impact.

Ruben Love has had a quiet season outside of the Waratahs game and, again, was unable to generate any go-forward for his side, despite commendable resilience in search of doing so.

Asafo Aumua is yet to put together a rampaging performance like those that we were treated to on the regular in 2024 and saw him return to the All Blacks setup.

The Canes now face a two-week road trip to Australia, where they’ll face the Force and Brumbies in hopes of getting their season back on track.

Crusaders use Wellington wind against Hurricanes

Young duo Noah Hotham and Taha Kemara clearly had their marching orders heading into this one: Use the swirling Wellington wind against the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes backfield of Ruben Love and Riley Hohepa were put under all sorts of pressure under varying kicks, with the height and unpredictability of the kicking game giving chasers plenty of time to get up in their face as the ball found the turf.

It wasn’t perfect, with several poorly judged kicks going too far or just wasting quality attacking opportunity. But, given it’s the hosts who are most used to the Wellington conditions, seeing the visitors use it better to their advantage was a surprise and no doubt a big disappointment for the Canes coaches.

The Bluesprint in full effect

Some chatter has surfaced over recent weeks around Kiwi teams’ tactics once in the opposition 22. While expansive rugby has long been the bread and butter of New Zealand rugby, a more direct, up-the-guts approach has been the calling card for the five Super Rugby sides of late.

The direct game is not new, but after a season in which the Blues dominated by hammering the defensive line in close and shrinking the defensive line before unleashing the ball wide, it appears that success has been replicated.

The Crusaders were happy to have their halfback take a break once the Hurricanes’ line was in sight, with big ball runners like Tamatiti Williams proving destructive with pick-and-go carries around the ruck.

Rob Penney’s side also took their chances down the blindside, even when there was little space to work with, as big props targetted smaller backs on the short side.

Sevu takes a step toward centre stage 

Sevu Reece’s midfield debut last week in Suva was a quiet one, and it didn’t look as if the Crusaders would be in a rush to give the All Blacks wing another crack there.

However, with both Crusaders midfielders departing the field with injuries, Reece got another opportunity in Wellington.

While the Fijian game was purely a defensive performance from Reece, the Hurricanes game saw the 28-year-old find some space and use his pace to carve open the Canes line.

His big break of the game – while occupying the midfield – came on a first-phase strike play, where his pace and commitment to his line caught Bailyn Sullivan off guard and exploited a gap. Reece has always had a superb passing game for an outside back, and he launched a rocket NASA would be proud of to keep the play alive.

The speedster has always been at his best when playing with the freedom to get involved all over the field, and in a game where he could get his hands dirty around the ruck and have as many passes as Will Jordan and Ruben Love, Reece looked right at home at 13.