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Jordie Barrett's sideline conversion hands Hurricanes a two-point win
One way or the other a Barrett had to decide the outcome. On this occasion, Jordie took the spoils.
With the scores level and time almost up, Jordie Barrett slotted a clutch sideline conversion as the Wellington crowd chanted his name to steal a 29-27 victory for the Hurricanes and trump older brother Beauden.
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Jordie had the chance to slot the match-winner after Asafo Aumua’s 76th minute lineout drive over try broke the deadlock – referee Ben O’Keeffe seeing enough of a grounding under a heap of bodies to rule on field try, and television match official James Doleman not seeing anything to overturn the original decision.
The cool strike was another telling moment in what is a turning point of a season for the younger Barrett, who continues to come of age at fullback for the Hurricanes.
While the Barretts were the focal point of a match that delivered eight tries and lived up to the hype, Ngani Laumape was the star performer. The Hurricanes second five-eighth sent the All Blacks selectors a clear message with his damaging carries and strong defensive efforts to complement his opening try.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCxwfDDguV3/
Beauden Barrett’s return to Wellington produced no shortage of storylines as he scored one superb try, had two Laumape nightmares and finished the match with a taped-up head. But it was his younger brother who had the final and deciding say.
The Blues stayed in the fight, while attempting to survive with minimal ball, but this loss significantly hurts their prospects. Two defeats on the bounce, after falling away in the final quarter in Christchurch last week, sees them drop to 3-2 and remain five points behind the Crusaders.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, continue their largely unheralded resurgence. After losing their first two games, including their opener at Eden Park, Jason Holland’s men have now recorded three victories in a row.
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The Blues lineout drive was the best part of their game. Successive strikes from Akira Ioane and Kurt Eklund midway through the second half turned a deficit into a five-point advantage for the Blues and until the closing stages it looked as though that would be enough.
The Hurricanes, though, found the necessary character to respond at the death.
Blues openside Dalton Papalii led anther committed defensive performance and he also snaffled crucial breakdown turnovers and his fourth try of the season.
But for all their obvious progress the Blues now face a mental test to rise for the remainder of the season.
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On his first trip to Wellington since leaving the Hurricanes, there was no keeping Beauden Barrett out of this match.
First Laumape stood Barrett up with a brilliant in and away to claim the opening try. Locals then let Barrett know their feelings about his deflection by booing his first touch.
Me oh my. Welcome back to Wellington, Beauden. #SuperRugbyAotearoa #HURvBLUhttps://t.co/vUN1KHlYZH
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 18, 2020
In a classic rocks to diamonds moment Barrett responded with a show and go to burst between TJ Perenara and Tyrel Lomax and score the Blues first try untouched.
Not long after Laumape was at it again by steamrolling Barrett before being brought down just short.
You could not have asked for much more from a first half that delivered four tries and one other to Jordie Barrett that was rightly ruled out due to a forward pass.
The Hurricanes controlled much of the ball and territory and enjoyed a one-man advantage when rookie Blues wing Emoni Narawa was yellow-carded in the 13th minute for laying in the ruck on his own line after Laumape ran over Barrett.
As it was last week against the Highlanders, the Hurricanes finishing left a lot to be desired at times. They again created ample opportunities through the likes of hard-running centre Peter Umaga-Jensen but often squandered these with frustrating last pass options or errors in contact.
Credit must be given to the staunch Blues defence which managed to hold on and not concede a point while Narawa was in the bin.
Nothing separated these two foes as they went toe to toe throughout this match as the lead changed several times.
It seems only fitting, then, that they now sit with the same records.
If this game taught us anything it’s that outside the Crusaders, any side can trump the other on any given day.
Hurricanes 29 (Ngani Laumape, Reed Prinsep, Dane Coles, Asafo Aumua tries; Jordie Barrett 3 cons, pen)
Blues 27 (Beauden Barrett, Dalton Papalii, Akira Ioane, Kurt Eklund tries; Otere Black con, pen, Barrett con)
HT: 15-15
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments