The Hurricanes have emerged victorious in their Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Highlanders, taking a 21-14 win in an error-ridden display from both sides at Sky Stadium.
With the score at 7-0 in favour of the Hurricanes at halftime, each team scored twice and conceded twice in the second spell, to see the home side take the win and valuable competition points.
A late try from replacement halfback Logan Henry proved to be the difference between the two sides, as the 25-year-old scored just minutes after coming off the bench for his Super Rugby debut - only arriving in Wellington earlier on Saturday after a late call-up.
The win is the Hurricanes' second in succession after defeating the Blues last week, and leaves them fourth on the ladder, with eight points from the opening three rounds.
The Highlanders meanwhile remain winless after three matches played, and are 10th on the table after defeats to the Chiefs and Crusaders as well as the Hurricanes to start the season, with just one bonus point keeping them above Melbourne Rebels and Moana Pasifika.
In a low-scoring first half, the Hurricanes took an early advantage through an unlikely scorer, as prop Pouri Rakete-Stones crashed over for the only try of the first 40 minutes.
Handling errors from both sides dominated the rest of the opening spell, as the hosts took a 7-0 advantage into the break.
After halftime, Jordie Barrett attempted to ignite the match with an audacious penalty attempt from inside his own half, but missed as both sides struggled to score.
Second-five Billy Proctor finally added the second score of the night in the 50th minute, barging his way over from close range as the Hurricanes looked to pull clear.
But the Highlanders would hit back just eight minutes later, as replacement Manaaki Selby-Rickit was fortunate to be awarded a try, with shades of a knock-on from hooker Liam Coltman in the build-up.
At 14-7 though, the Hurricanes were boosted by their bench, as a quartet of substitutes combined to seal the result.
A break from Brayden Iose set up Devan Flanders, who in turn found Peter Umaga-Jensen in space.
Umaga-Jensen, playing against twin brother Thomas, went on a slaloming run through the Highlanders defence, before finding debutant Logan Henry unmarked inside him, as the halfback crossed over for his first Super Rugby try after just minutes on the pitch.
The try capped a remarkable day for Henry, who was shoehorned into the side at the 11th hour after halfback Jamie Booth was ruled out - forcing him into a rushed trip from Palmerston North to Wellington.
The Highlanders scored a consolation try at the end when Aaron Smith put lock Josh Dickson into a gap, crashing over for his side's second of the evening with five minutes still to play.
But it was too little, too late for the Highlanders, who couldn't level the scores in the dying moments, and were condemned to a third straight loss.
The result leaves the Highlanders winless in Wellington dating back seven years - with their last taste of success in the capital coming against the Hurricanes in the 2015 Super Rugby final.
Hurricanes 21 (Rakete-Stones 12', Proctor 50', Henry 69' tries; Barrett 13', 51' 70' conversions)
Highlanders 14 (Selby-Rickit 58', Dickson 75' tries; Banks 59', 76' conversions)
