Hurricanes v Waratahs Stat Attack

• By Peter Marriott

SUPER RUGBY TRANS-TASMAN
Round 1 v Waratahs: Won 64-48

The Hurricanes record against the Waratahs is now played 24, won 14, lost 10 and drawn none.

The Hurricanes have won their last four matches against the Waratahs. This is their best winning sequence against them bettering the three times in a row they achieved on two previous occasions.

The Hurricanes have now played 46 matches against Australian sides in Australia, one more than they have played against them in New Zealand.

The Waratahs were beaten in all eight of their Super Rugby AU matches and now have lost a record nine Super Rugby matches in a row.

The aggregate of 112 points is the highest the Hurricanes have been involved in all Super Rugby matches. It betters the total of 100 points accumulated in their match against the Sunwolves at Tokyo in 2017 which the Hurricanes won 83-17.

For the record the most often recorded aggregate is shared by three different totals:
45, 52 and 53 – all have been achieved on 13 occasions. The lowest aggregate was in the match against the Reds at Brisbane on 27 February 1999 when the home side beat the Hurricanes 11-0 in what has so far been only the first of two instances in which the Hurricanes have failed to score any points in a match.

The Hurricanes have now been in 15 matches which aggregated 80 or more points: the equivalent of at least a
point a minute.

The Hurricanes had scored 33 points by halftime: their highest total at the break against any side since leading the Sunwolves 45-5 at Tokyo in February 2017. The Hurricanes also led the Waratahs 33-7 at Wellington in April 2017 eventually winning that match 38-28.

The 48 points conceded to the Waratahs is the third time the Hurricanes have had that many points scored against them in a match and the first time they have won. On the two previous occasions they were beaten by the Crusaders (48-20 at Wellington in 2002) and by the Bulls (48-14 at Pretoria in 2013).

The Waratahs score of 48 is now the new record for most points conceded by the Hurricanes in a match they won. The previous record was against the Cheetahs at Bloemfontein in April 2011 which the Hurricanes won 50-47. By coincidence, Dane Coles appeared off the bench in that match and it also witnessed the Super Rugby debut of Beauden Barrett.

The Hurricanes have now scored 64 points in a match on two occasions: the first time was against Northern Transvaal (now known as the Bulls) at New Plymouth in March 1997 when they won 64-32. There have only been three higher scores: 83-17 against the Sunwolves at Tokyo in 2017, 71-6 against the Rebels at Wellington in 2017, and 66-24, again against the Rebels and at Wellington, in 2012.

The Hurricanes scored 10 tries in a match for the second time in their history. The previous occasion was against the Sunwolves at Napier in 2020. Their record for most tries in a match is 13: against the Sunwolves at Tokyo in 2017, and 11, against the Rebels at Wellington, also in 2017, Those two matches were in fact consecutive and the first two of the season.

The most tries previously scored by the Hurricanes in a match against the Waratahs was six: at Wellington in 2003 and there again in 2017.

The 10 tries against the Waratahs is the 149th time the Hurricanes have scored four or more tries in a Super Rugby match.

The seven tries scored by the Waratahs is the sixth time the Hurricanes have conceded this amount or more, and the first occasion since the Brumbies scored seven at Canberra in 2016. The Brumbies won that match 52-10. The Waratahs have twice before scored seven tries against the Hurricanes: at Sydney in 1996 and at the same venue in 2004.

The Hurricanes played their first match against an Australian side since beating the Rebels 29-19 at Wellington on 4 May 2019.

The Hurricanes played their first match in Australia since beating the Waratahs 20-19 at Sydney on 16 February 2019.

The Hurricanes and the Waratahs have now met 13 times at Sydney and the Hurricanes have won six times, including the last three matches in a row. Of the 13 matches played, 11 have been at the Sydney Football Stadium which has also been known as Aussie Stadium and more recently Allianz Stadium. The match prior to this one was held for the first time at Brookvale Oval and now the Hurricanes have appeared at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the first time.

Of the squad of 23 which made an appearance in Sydney, only 10 had previously played against the Waratahs.

Du’Plessis Kirifi, Liam Mitchell, Xavier Numia and Billy Proctor all made their Hurricanes debut against the Waratahs in the same match: at Sydney in 2019 and Dane Coles also debuted against them at Wellington in 2009. Both Coles and Kirifi scored a try in their first match.

Apart from the five names mentioned above Jordie Barrett, James Blackwell, Reed Prinsep, Julian Savea and Isaia Walker-Leawere had also previously played against the Waratahs.

Billy Proctor and Julian Savea both scored two tries to equal the individual record for most tries in a match by a Hurricanes player against the Waratahs. In Savea’s case it was the second time he has scored a brace against the Waratahs (also at Wellington in 2013). He also extended his Hurricanes record for most tries in all matches against the Waratahs to seven. This was the first time two Hurricanes players have scored two tries in the same match against the Waratahs.

Jordie Barrett’s try was his second against the Waratahs whilst Brayden Iose and Pepesana Patafilo both scored their first against the franchise. In Patafilo’s case it was his maiden Super Rugby try (in his second match) and Iose scored his second try in just his third match. He scored his maiden try in the previous match against the Highlanders.

The fourth try scored by the Waratahs (Harry Johnson-Holmes’ first) was the 500th to be conceded by the Hurricanes in all away matches. The overall tally now stands at 503. Barrett scored 19 points in the match and after one round of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman he is at the top of the point scorers’ list. His seven conversions also took his tally in all Super Rugby matches to exactly 100. He has also brought up 100 points for the season and currently sits on 114 made up of four tries, 23 conversions and 16 penalties. Jordie Barrett’s single penalty took the total number of penalties kicked by the Hurricanes in away matches to 359: exactly the same number kicked in all home matches.