With the race for positions at the rear of the Super Rugby finals grid settled early on Saturday afternoon, attention switched to the pointy end of qualifying, and fans weren’t left disappointed. The Hurricanes overcame an early Highlanders’ try and another confounding kit clash to purr away to an impressive 41-14 win in Wellington; the same location where they will host the final, if they keep winning. There’s every chance of that happening; they boast multiple threats forward and back, and have a knack for knowing when to hit turbo boost when a sniff of an opportunity presents itself.
Salesi Rayasi was the chief beneficiary – his hat-trick could have been more – but the Rebels next week will have to keep a close watch on all 23 players. At the top of that list, looking fresh and hungry, is Asafo Aumua, who proved too dynamic for the Highlanders’ defenders to deal with. The Highlanders were by no means poor; they’ve made strong progress over the last month and will travel to Canberra next week feeling like they have a strong chance.
That said, there’s also a sense that this season rushed up on them and Clarke Dermody a bit too quickly, and, no matter what happens next week, they’ll be a better proposition next year. Before we leave this match, here’s how communication between the respective managements played out in the lead up; Hurricanes: “We’ll wear black and yellow shirts, with black shorts.” Highlanders: “No worries, we’ll wear navy blue an.