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Hurricanes 67 Drua 5
Hurricanes - Moorby 3, Goosen 2, Rayasi, Proctor 2, Sangster, Walker-Leawere & Aumua tries, Morgan 6 conversions
Drua - Ratave try
Fulltime
40th minute - Drua have one last chance to counterattack, but are tackled into touch. Hurricanes take a quick lineout, but Doleman calls them back, as the siren sounds.
Howden wins the throw and Morgan beats a couple of players in midfield, but loses the ball.
Higgins has a yellow card on debut, after a bit of a scuffle. Drua have another chance to salvage something more against the shorthanded Hurricanes, but the ball goes astray and they lose ground.
They win another penalty and Muntz finds touch on the Hurricanes 10. Drua win the lineout and maul forward.
Ratave runs powerfully in midfield, but they put a kick to the corner, where the ball bounces into touch and the game finally ends.
37th minute - Coles creates a turnover with a big tackle in midfield, but Hurricanes spill the ball and have to settle for a scrum in front of the posts.
TRY to Sangster
Big Drua scrum, but Howden bursts off the back towards the tryline. Roigard goes close, but Sangster picks and goes to score.
Morgan leaves his conversion attempt right, HUR 67-5
36th minute - Drua looking for a way out of their half, but are mired on their own 10.
35th minute - Delany steals a Drua attacking lineout throw and Roigard clears beyond halfway.
34th minute - Sangster win the kickoff, but Roigard kicks out on the full and Drua have a lineout in Hurricanes territory.
32nd minute - TRY to Moorby
From the scrum, Roigard goes right and finds Moorby with a long pass and no defenders in sight. Morgan slots the conversion, HUR 62-5
30th minute - From the scrum, Roigard runs right and links with Morgan inside the Drua 22. Coles offloads to Higgins, who drops the ball, but they're playing under advantage.
29th minute - Higgins, 19, comes on to become the youngest Hurricane ever.
27th minute - TRY to Ratave
Finally, the Drua have something to show for their effort, winning a penalty advantage at the scrum, but clearing right, where the replacement winger fends off Garden-Bachop to score. MUntz hits the post with his conversion, HUR 55-5
26th minute - Drua have the ball on the Hurricanes 22, but they drop the ball. Garden-Bachop's clearance kick is charged down and the Drua have a five-metre scrum.
25th minute - Rayasi was actually replaced by first-five Jackson Garden-Bachop, with Morgan shifting to fullback and Moorby to Rayasi's wing.
22nd minute - TRY to Proctor
From the scrum, Roigard makes a long run to the Drua 22 and wins a penalty.
Hurricanes win the attacking lineout and forwards set to work on the tryline. They have penalty advantage, but the ball shifts left, where Proctor has a man outside him when he scores.
Morgan hooks his conversion again, HUR 55-0
20th minute - Drua have the ball in their own half, but making no headway at all and they eventually lose the ball forward.
17th minute - TRY to Rayasi
Hurricanes win the lineout and shift left, where Moorby sets Rayasi loose down the sideline to score in the corner.
MOrgan hooks his conversion left, as Rayasi is replaced by Riley Higgins.
16th minute - Big Hurricanes scrum disrupts the Drua feed, but they clear the ball. No way through for the Drua and Hurricanes win a turnover on the Drua 10.
15th minute - Hurricanes eventually knock on and Dane Coles enters the game.
14th minute - Drua kickoff is short and claimed by Sullivan. Hurricanes kick ahead and Drua are on the backfoot again.
Hurricanes claim loose ball and build phases on halfway.
11th minute - TRY to Walker-Leawere
Drua lose their lineout throw and Hurricanes pour onto attack again.
From the ruck, Hurricanes shift left, where Morgan finds Laubscher, who flicks a quick pass to his lock rumbling through a gap in the defence to score. MOrgan converts, HUR 45-0
10th minute - Owen Franks replaces Lomax for his Hurricanes debut.
Eighth minute - TRY to Goosen
Gibson surges to the Drua 22 and Moorby has another telling run. Rayasi finds Laubscher, who shows great strength to stand and offload to Goosen for his second.
Morgan slots the conversion, HUR 38-0
Seventh minute - Drua win the lineout in their own half, but Hurricanes turn it over.
Sixth minute - From the scrum, Hurricanes pour into Drua half. Morgan puts Laubscher away on a surging run, but Drua eventually win the penalty.
Fourth minute - Taliga kicks off into touch again, so another Hurricanes scrum on halfway.
Second minute - TRY to Goosen
Hurricanes win the lineout and shift right, where Morgan provides the overlap for Goosen - simple. Morgan hooks his conversion left, HUR 31-0
First minute - From the kickoff, Hurricanes win a penalty inside Drua half and Morgan kicks to the corner.
Halftime
40th minute - Drua win a lineout near halfway, but they lack structure in the backline and go backwards. As the siren goes, Talinga kicks ahead, but it goes to touch to end the half.
39th minute - Morgan's kick finds touch towards the Drua 22, Hurricanes win the lineout and maul, but Drua hold them up and win the turnover.
Perenara isn't happy and is penalised for using stern words with the ref.
38th minute - Muntz is tackled outside the 22 and Drua are penalised at the breakdown for Hurricanes to clear.
37th minute - Drua drop the ball, but they're playing under another advantage and Muntz finds touch outside the Hurricanes 22. Their lineout is a mess again.
36th minute - Big Hurricanes scrum wins a penalty advantage, but they clear right, where Moorby makes another big run.
Doleman calls a penalty against Hurricanes and Drua take a quick tap in their own half.
34th minute - Talagi kicks out on the full and Hurricanes will have a scrum on halfway.
32nd minute - TRY to Moorby
Morgan kicks to the corner and Hurricanes win a lineout inside the 22. When the ball shifts left, Moorby is back in the line to score.
Morgan converts, HUR 26-0
31st minute - Loose passing from the Hurricanes, but somehow they retain the ball and gain penalty advantage. Eventually, Proctor spills the ball and Doleman brings them back for the penalty.
30th minute - From the kickoff, Rayasi unleashes another powerful run into Drua half.
28th minute - TRY to Proctor
Credit Morgan for that, delivering a touch pass and taking a big hit back on halfway to set Rayasi loose down the left. He draws the defence and finds Proctor outside him to score.
Morgan converts from the sideline, HUR 19-0
27th minute - Big Hurricanes scrum turns the ball over. When they shift right, Sullivan fends off a defender, but his offload goes to ground and Proctor kicks dead.
25th minute - Hurricanes win a lineout outside the 22 and Sullivan makes ground down the right. They drive towards the posts and Goosen spills an unexpected pass.
24th minute - Drua win a lineout in Hurricanes half, but delivery is terrible to the halfback and Hurricanes win a penalty.
23rd minute - Drua feed to a midfield scrum and win a penalty advantage. They can't make any progress and eventually drop the ball, so Doleman brings them back for the scrum penalty.
21st minute - Sangster claims the kickoff and Morgan eventually breaks over halfway, but Doleman spots a knock-on.
19th minute - TRY to Aumua
After a handful of phases, the ball shifts right, Goosen finds Aumua with a long pass and the hooker plunges over in the corner. Morgan hooks his conversion left, HUR 12-0
18th minute - Rayasi finds touch near the Drua 10, Hurricanes win the lineout and Proctor dents the defence in midfield. Moorby finds Rayasi running an angle and the forwards lay seiges on the line.
17th minute - Drua win the lineout and try to build an attack on the Hurricanes 10, but they're penalised at the breakdown again.
16th minute - Hurricanes control the kickoff and Morgan clears towards halfway.
14th minute - TRY to Moorby
Hurricanes win a lineout on the 22 and shift right, where Sullivan finds Moorby at pace outside him to score. Morgan slots the conversion, HUR 7-0
13th minute - Hurricanes take a quick lineout throw, but Morgan's kick ahead is covered by the Drua, who counterattack and are penalised at the breakdown.
12th minute - Drua win the lineout, but they're not making any headway and are eventually tackled into touch.
11th minute - Doleman loses his patience with the scrum and penalises Lomax. Kuruvoli leaves for an HIA, as the Drua clear their half.
10th minute - Drua are going backwards, almost back to their 22, and Hurricanes win a scrum feed for a knock-on.
Ninth minute - Walker-Leawere was penalised for his tackle on the halfback and Drua win a lineout on halfway, rumbling into the Hurricanes half for the first time.
Eighth minute - Kuruvoli is injured for the Drua, but will hobble on.
Seventh minute - Drua win the lineout, but delivery is untidy back to the halfback. Hurricanes win a penalty advantage at the breakdown, but they're back on halfway.
Sixth minute - Lomax gets within five metres of the line, but is penalised for not releasing, so Drua have another chance to exit.
Fifth minute - Drua win the lineout and kick ahead, Moorby runs it back into Drua half. Aumua carries the move on towards the goal-line.
Third minute - Morgan kicks to the corner, but play is held up for medical treatment to Lomax.
Walker-Leawere wins the lineout, but Drua defend the maul and win a penalty.
Second minute - Hurricanes build phases in the Drua 22 and eventually win a penalty advantage. Rayasi drops the ball after 17 phases and Doleman brings them back for the penalty.
First minute - James Doleman will referee today's contest, as Morgan kicks off for the Hurricanes. Drua spill the kick and Proctor pounces on the loose ball, Hurricanes enter the 22.
Proctor and Rayasi storm towards the tryline.
*****
Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Super Rugby Pacific clash between the Hurricanes and Fijian Drua at Wellington's Sky Stadium.
After losing to ACT Brumbies last week, the Wellingtonians sit seventh on the competition ladder with five wins/five losses - clear of the battle for the last playoff spot, but also too far back to improve their standing today.
The best they can hope for is to consolidate their current standing and hope to haul in those ahead of them over the final three weeks.
But first, they must dispense with a Drua side that could not topple a battling Highlanders outfit on their own home turf, but had previously caused the table-topping Blues some headaches during Melbourne's 'Super Round'.
Captain Ardie Savea has been rested for this contest, but the Hurricanes have been bolstered by the return of oft-injured All Blacks hooker Dane Coles and former international prop Owen Franks, both off the bench.
TAB Odds: Hurricanes $1.07, Drua $5.75
Hurricanes: 1-Xavier Numia, 2-Asafo Aumua, 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-Isaia Walker-Leawere, 5-Justin Sangster, 6-Blake Gibson, 7-Du'Plessis Kirifi, 8-Tyler Laubscher, 9-TJ Perenara (c), 10-Aidan Morgan, 11-Salesi Rayasi, 12-Billy Proctor, 13-Bailyn Sullivan, 14-Wes Goosen, 15-Josh Moorby
Reserves: 16-Dane Coles, 17-Tevita Mafileo, 18-Owen Franks, 19-Caleb Delany, 20-TK Howden, 21-Cameron Roigard, 22-Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23-Riley Higgins
Drua: 1-Haereiti Hetet, 2-Zuriel Togiatama, 3-Samuela Tawake, 4-Isoa Nasilasila, 5-Sorovakatini Tuifagalele, 6-Meli Derenalagi, 7-Kitione Salawa, 8-Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 9-Simione Kuruvoli, 10-Caleb Muntz, 11-Kitione Ratu, 12-Jona Mataiciwa, 13-Apisalome Vota, 14-Selestino Ravutaumada, 15-Kitione Taliga
Reserves: 16-Tevita Ikanivere, 17-Meli Tuni, 18-Manasa Saulo, 19-Chris Minimbi, 20-Raikabula Momoedonu, 21-Leone Nawai, 22-Teti Tela, 23-Onisi Ratave
Franks outlines desire for All Blacks return before Super Rugby comeback
Alex Powell
Former All Blacks prop Owen Franks hasn't given up hope of returning to the black jersey, as he prepares for his Super Rugby comeback with the Hurricanes.
Franks left New Zealand after the 2019 season, after missing selection for the All Blacks World Cup squad, with coach Steve Hansen citing the need for more mobile, ball-playing front rowers.
With his international career seemingly done, the 108-test veteran departed for English club Northampton Saints, where he played 22 games.
Last year, Franks signed on with the Hurricanes and return to Super Rugby, but was delayed by a ruptured Achilles at the end of 2021.
Now fit again, he will finally make his Hurricanes debut off the bench against Fijian Drua on Sunday, adding to his 150 Super Rugby appearances with the Crusaders.
"It's been a long road to get back here," Franks says. "I'm just excited to repay the faith the Hurricanes have shown in me the last year.
"I'm desperate to do a good job for the club. Like any long-term injury or back-to-back ones, there's peaks and troughs, but I committed to coming back to New Zealand and giving it a crack, so that was always at the forefront of my mind.
"The motivation or drive never wavered. Like I said, you have your ups and downs, but it's all good."
Franks, 34, hasn't just returned to New Zealand for sentiment's sake, eyeing a return to the All Blacks ranks, as they push towards World Cup redemption in 2023.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster has stated the front row as one of his areas of concern for this year, potentially opening the door for a Franks return.
"I'm just competitive, I just want to see if I can mix it with these guys," he added.
"I really enjoyed my time in England. Northampton was a great club and I enjoyed the rugby, but it's different when you know there's no possibility of making the national team.
"I don't consider myself in the frame at the minute here, but it's a different feeling when you know there's a mountain top to reach. It's hugely motivating.
"If you're playing rugby in New Zealand and you're eligible for the All Blacks, and that's not your goal, maybe you should rethink - why are you playing here?"
