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Hurricanes 64 Waratahs 48
Hurricanes - Savea 2, Barrett, Coles, Iose, Umaga-Jensen, Patafilo, Aumua & Proctor 2 tries; Barrett 7 conversions
Waratahs - Newsome, Gordon, Johnson-Holmes 2, Swinton, Maddocks & Bell tries; Donaldson 5 conversions & penalty
Second half
40th minute - Try to Maddocks
Leger launches a counterattack from a long kick and Savea sets Rayasi loose down the left. He runs out of ground and his infield pass finds a Waratahs player. The ball spreads left and Maddocks finally gets his try.
With 50 points in sight, Donaldson's conversion is narrowly errant to the right, Hurricanes 64-48
37th minute - Try to Aumua
From the kickoff, Savea makes a powerful run down the right and finds Patafilo with a backhanded pass. He kicks ahead and the Waratahs are penalised when they don't realise the ball near their line.
Hurricanes take an attacking lineout and maul towards the line, for the hooker to score. Leger is wayward again, Hurricanes 64-43
34th minute - Try to Patafilo
When the ball comes right, Savea finds the replacement outside him and Patafilo cuts back infield to score. Ledger is kicking now, but slices the conversion, Hurricanes 59-43
33rd minute - Hurricanes surge into NSW territory, Rayasi makes long run down the left and Hurricanes are under advantage.
31st minute - Waratahs win an attacking lineout and Swinton simply runs around the back of the to score untouched. Hurricanes complain that Berry impeded tacklers, but Donaldson slots the conversion, Hurricanes 54-43
30th minute - Harrison almost crosses out left and the forwards are held up. Berry issues a double blow on the whistle, but only to warn Prinsep, who has taken the captaincy from Coles.
29th minute - NSW were playing advantage and Gordon takes quick tap to cross, but he's called back.
NSW forwards lay seige on the goal-line and earn another penalty advantage.
27th minute - From a scrum five metres out, the Waratahs win another scrum penalty and take a tap. Johnson-Holmes almost has another try, but is twice held up.
When the ball comes to the backs, Donaldson dummies and finds Maddocks steaming through on an angle to cross.
Replays show he lost control before forcing the ball. Wow.
26th minute - Waratahs take a quick tap from a scum penalty and earn and advantage for a no-arm tackle from Blackwell.
25th minute - Tahs playing under advantage and eventually receive the penalty in front of the posts. They call for a scrum.
24th minute - Waratahs on attack again and inside the Hurricanes 22...
22nd minute - Try to Umaga-Jensen
From a breakdown in NSW territory, Walker-Leawere finds Barrett with a deft short pass and Kirifi provides Umaga-Jensen with the last pass. That's 50 points and Barrett adds the icing, Hurricanes 54-36
21st minute - This is the most points scored in a game between these two teams and we still have 20 minutes remaining.
19th minute - Try to Johnson-Holmes
A second for the prop, who simply picks up from the back of a ruck and drives over. Donaldson leaves his conversion attempt right, Hurricanes 47-36
18th minute - Waratahs have a midfield scrum feed inside the 22. Gordon runs and Maddocks takes an inside pass that threatens the defence.
17th minute - Waratahs build phases inside the 22 and have a penalty advantage. Johnson-Holmes spills a pass and ref Berry pings Iose for offside.
14th minute - Hurricanes win a scrum inside the NSW 10 and build phases. Campbell makes a sniping run down the left touchline and the Canes earn a penalty advantage.
They don't need it, as Iose dummies and shuffles through the defence, almost stumbling over, to score. Barrett converts, Hurricanes 47-31
13th minute - From their own half, NSW try to launch an attack, but a long floating pass to Foketi is knocked on. Hurricanes have great attacking position.
12th minute - From a lineout win, the Hurricanes move the ball left along the backline, but one of those passes from Barrett to Rayasi is ruled forward.
Ninth minute - Try to Johnson-Holmes
Maddocks makes a carving run, as Waratahs buld an attack. Interpassing among the forwards takes play towards the posts and they play under advantage.
Johnson-Holmes lunges at the line - he appears to be short, but he's shunted over by his forwards for a try. Donaldson converts, Hurricanes 40-31
Sixth minute - Try to Savea
From a breakdown hear halfway, Walker-Leawere emerges with the ball and kicks downfield. Donaldson clears, but not far enough, as the Hurricanes move the ball right, Barrett kicks wide into the 22 and Savea catches to score.
Barrett converts, Hurricanes 40-24
Fifth minute - Apparently Love has been dispatched to hospital for scans, but he was sitting up and talking before he left, so seems to have avoided really serious damage.
Fourth minute - Waratahs earn a scrum penalty near halfway and kick deep for an attacking lineout.
Third minute - Rayasi cleverly picks up a bouncing pass, but his behind-the-back pass goes into touch.
Second minute - Donaldson's clearing kick is charged down and Savea chases, but it's cleared by NSW.
First minute - Waratahs kick off, claimed by Blackwell for the Hurricanes. Campbell's high kick bounces for Kirifi, but the ball is knocked from his grasp.
First half
39th minute - Try to Gordon
From the game's first scrum in the 39th minute, the Waratahs halfback finds a yawning gap to run unopposed beside the posts. Too easy.
Donaldson converts as the halftime siren sounds, Hurricanes 33-24
38th minute - From the restart, an ambitious back pass goes loose and puts the Hurricanes under pressure. The ball is toed ahead by Douglas and Barrett has to scramble to force.
36th minute - Coles throws to an attacking lineout and the Hurricanes forwards maul. When a back pass goes loose, Rayasi makes a damaging run to earn a penalty.
Try to Proctor
When the movement threatens to break down, Barrett finds Proctor with a long pass and he brushes off a tackler to run 22 metres untouched to score.
34th minute - Hurricanes earn a clearing penalty and find touch deep in NSW territory. They win the lineout and when the ball goes left to Rayasi, he's tackled into touch.
31st minute - Try to Coles
Coles throws to another attacking lineout and then joins the maul five metres out. He waits until they're on the line, then spins off the back to score.
Barrett bisects the posts with his conversion, Hurricanes 26-17
30th minute - Hurricanes win the lineout and rumble across field towards the line. Campbell's last pass is deflected, but NSW are penalised again.
29th minute - Barrett throws a ridiculous long pass to Rayasi, but it may have gone forward, because ref Nic Berry brings them back for a penalty, which Barrett kicks to the corner for a lineout.
28th minute - Maddocks is again safe under a Barrett kick that has snow on it. Rayasi finds Umaga-Jensen, who chips ahead, but Donaldson marks it in his 22.
27th minute - Barrett pulls it left of the posts from about 48m and straight in front.
26th minute - Maddocks is sound under a high ball on halfway and Bell rumbles forward again.
Prinsep smashes Gamble in a tackle that drives him back over halfway and the Hurricanes earn a penalty. Barrett looks at the posts...
23rd minute - Try to Barrett
Hurricanes forwards reach the 22 and Ledger provides a short pass for Barrett to dummy and find a clear path to the line. Barrett converts his own try, Hurricanes 19-17
22nd minute - Rayasi fields a clearing kick and puts Barrett through a half gap. Hurricanes charge up centrefield, where Proctor makes a run at the defensive line.
20th minute - Waratahs on attack now and earn a penalty in midfield for offside. Donaldson will kick for goal and slots it, Waratahs 17-12
18th minute - Hurricanes win a lineout on the NSW 10 and mount an attack. A crossfield kick for Coles on the wing is overcooked into touch.
16th minute - Try to Bell
Waratahs kick to the corner for an attacking lineout and they win it, sending the ball along the backline, where the young prop is lurking to rumble over. Donaldson converts, Waratahs 14-12
15th minute - Good continuity from the Hurricanes, but they concede a penalty on halfway for not releasing in a tackle.
14th minute - Rayasi is proving difficult for the Waratahs to handle down the left and he sets the platform for another Hurricanes attack.
12th minute - Try to Proctor
Hurricanes eventually snaffle possession through Rayasi, and some interplay between Kirifi, Savea and Rayasi creates the try for Proctor, although the last pass did look forward. Barrett converts, Hurricanes 12-7
11th minute - Very loose play from both sides, with neither really controlling possession. Eventually Barrett kicks deep...
10th minute - Waratahs win a defensive lineout and Swinton makes good ground towards halfway.
Ninth minute - Hurricanes move the ball right to find Coles lurking on the wing. He's tackled near touch and the Tahs get the throw.
Seventh minute - Try to Newsome
From the breakdown, Gordon holds the ball up and finds his winger with a short pass. Newsome beats the last defender to score near the posts and Donaldson converts, Waratahs 7-5
Sixth minute - Waratahs defence is up quickly and cause a turnover in Hurricanes territory. They're playing under advantage...
Fourth minute - Try to Savea
Once Love departs, the Hurricanes win a lineout on the 22 and move the ball right to Julian Savea, who simply outflanks the defence to cross wide out.
Barrett hooks his converson attempt, Hurricanes 5-0
Third minute - Love is in the wars again, copping a knee in the head as he tries to tackle Gamble. A stretcher comes out and there's some concern about his neck.
Orbyn Ledger is out there warming up, so he'll probably slot into first-five for the Hurricanes.
Second minute - NSW on attack, Swinton makes a long run, but his pass is deflected by a Hurricanes hand. Eventually the ball goes loose and Rayasi gathers, Savea hacks ahead and the Waratahs try to tidy up on their own line.
First minute - Barrett kicks off for the Hurricanes and Donaldson sends it back off the boot. Love runs straight at prop Johnson-Holmes and concedes a penalty.
9:41pm - Just before kickoff, the Hurricanes have confirmed the signing of former All Blacks prop Owen Franks - as revealed by Newshub two days ago - for the next two seasons.
That's good news for the capital team, as they try to regroup from their bottom-placed finish in this year's Aotearoa competition.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's coverage of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash between the Hurricanes and Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
After the completion of the respective NZ and Australian domestic competitions, these were the two bottom-placed teams, so you could cynically expect this clash to provide an early pointer to who will take the trans-Tasman wooden spoon.
That said, the Wellington-bases side managed two wins over the Highlanders and probably weren't as bad as their 2-6 record might suggest.
On the other hand, the Waratahs could not manage a single win from their eight games and dispensed with NZ-born coach Rob Penney five games into their campaign.
Hurricanes coach Jason Holland has chosen to rest blockbuster second-five Ngani Laumape in the same week he signed to play in France next year. In his place, All Blacks rookie Peter Umaga-Jensen will partner Billy Proctor in the midfield.
Hurricanes: 1-Xavier Numia, 2-Dane Coles (c), 3-Alex Fidow, 4-James Blackwell, 5-Isaia Walker-Leawere, 6-Reed Prinsep, 7-Du'Plessis Kirifi, 8-Devan Flanders, 9-Luke Campbell, 10-Reuben Love, 11-Salesi Rayasi, 12-Peter Umaga-Jensen, 13-Billy Proctor, 14-Julian Savea, 15-Jordie Barrett
Reserves: 16-Asafo Aumua, 17-Tevita Mafileo, 18-Tyrel Lomax, 19-Liam Mitchell, 20-Brayden Iose, 21-Jonathan Taumateine, 22-Orbyn Leger, 23-Pepesana Patafilo
Waratahs: 1-Angus Bell, 2-David Porecki, 3-Harry Johnson-Holmes, 4-Hugh Sinclair, 5-Max Douglas, 6-Lachlan Swinton, 7-Charlie Gamble, 8-Will Harris, 9- Jake Gordon (c), 10-Ben Donaldon, 11-Mark Nawaqanitawase, 12-Lalakai Foketi, 13-Izaia Perese, 14-Alex Newsome, 15-Jack Maddocks
Reserves: 16-Joe Cotton, 17-Tetera Faulkner, 18-Darcy Breen, 19-Jeremy Williams, 20-Carlo Tizzano, 21-Jack Grant, 22-Will Harrison, 23-Tepai Moeroa
TAB odds: Hurricanes $1.04, Waratahs $8.90
Robertson wanted Hurricanes-bound Franks for Crusaders
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson would have welcomed back Owen Franks with open arms, if they could have squeezed him onto their roster for the 2022 season.
Newshub has revealed the former All Blacks prop has signed a one-year deal with the Hurricanes for next season's revamped Super Rugby.
Franks, who won three Super Rugby crowns in a 150-game, decade-long stint with the red-and-blacks, is returning home after two years with Northampton in the English Premiership.
Robertson has revealed the test centurion entered talks with his former franchise, but ultimately, neither side could make it work.
"We went through the process," Robertson says. "If we had a bit of space, we'd have loved to have Owie back.
"He has been great to us for a long period of time, but professional sport and timing didn't work. We had a full roster."
Franks' last Super Rugby appearance was the victorious 2019 Super Rugby final against the Jaguares.
The 33-year-old formed a daunting front row, alongside fellow All Blacks Joe Moody and Codie Taylor, as the Crusaders ran rampant during that season - losing just twice in 19 games.
But Franks missed selection for the 2019 Rugby World Cup before his move offshore and quietly disappeared from the New Zealand rugby melting pot.
Robertson believes the Hurricanes have pulled off a recruitment coup in inking Franks to a deal and admits the move north worked best for everyone involved.
"It's a professional game, that's where the opportunity was. We appreciate that he's made that decision, and it's best for him and his family."
Franks is the Hurricanes’ second high-profile former-Crusaders signing, with lock and former teammate Dominic Bird returning from France next season.
