Hurricanes thrash Chiefs to win Super Rugby Pacific title
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June 20 : The Hurricanes overwhelmed the Waikato Chiefs 60-5 on Saturday to end their decade-long wait for a second Super Rugby title, with Ruben Love and Josh Moorby scoring two tries each at Wellington’s “Cake Tin” stadium.
Tries from Moorby, Love, Fehi Fineanganofo and Callum Harkin gave the Hurricanes a 29-0 lead at halftime, with Moorby and Love adding to the score after the break along with Devan Flanders, Jordie Barrett and Jone Rova.
It was a fourth straight defeat in Super Rugby finals for the Chiefs, who lost to the Canterbury Crusaders in 2023 and 2025 and the Auckland Blues in 2024.
Their day could have been even worse, with only Naitoa Ah Kuoi’s 75th-minute try helping them avoid the unwanted distinction of becoming the first team to suffer a shutout loss in a Super Rugby final.
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Moorby, in his second stint with the Hurricanes, said he was playing with a special group of players.
“The culture here is just, it’s one of the best I’ve been a part of and, yeah, being back here this year, I’m just really, really happy,” the winger added.
“We’ve got a lot of boys leaving, I think it’s 12 or 13, and seeing them off the right way, it’s something special that we’ve done tonight.”
Chiefs centre Quinn Tupaea said his side never got the chance to settle.
“Classy side, they killed us straight away,” said Tupaea, who was named Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year this week.
“Tough to come back from that. We didn’t play our game today. We didn’t give up until the end, so, yeah. I don’t know what else to say.”
The Hurricanes made an explosive start in treacherous conditions, with their opening try coming in the seventh minute when Moorby crashed over after a spell of sustained pressure.
Six minutes later, Love showed a touch of individual brilliance as he scooped up a loose ball and darted past a couple of Chiefs players, before converting his own try to put the Hurricanes up 12-0.
The Hurricanes kept their foot on the gas and Fineanganofo set a Super Rugby try-scoring record with his 17th five-pointer of the season, with Harkin adding another and Love putting over a penalty just before halftime.
The onslaught continued after the break as Love set up Moorby to score and draw level with Fineanganofo on 17 tries for the season, before Flanders and Barrett stretched their lead further.
Love scored again in the 68th minute, launching himself into the air to finish off a sweeping attack in the corner, with Rova rounding out the Hurricanes’ scoring.
Source: Reuters
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