Hurricanes v Rebels Stat Attack

• By Peter Marriott

SUPER RUGBY TRANS-TASMAN
Round 2 v Rebels: Won 35-13

The Hurricanes record against the Rebels is now played nine, won eight, lost one and drawn none.

The Hurricanes have won their last eight matches in a row against the Rebels. This equals their best sequence against the Lions and is just one short of their record winning runs against the Blues and the Force, both of which the Hurricanes have recorded nine straight wins at some stage during their respective rivalries.

The Hurricanes have now won their last 10 matches in a row at home venues against Australian sides. They last lost to the Waratahs (24-29), at Wellington on 18 April 2015.

The Rebels were the last Australian side played by the Hurricanes prior to COVID-19: at Wellington on 4 March 2019 when the Hurricanes won 29-19. A comparison of that match with this one shows the Hurricanes have improved by six points whilst the Rebels have regressed by six points.

After two rounds of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman the Hurricanes have scored the most tries (15): the Crusaders are next with 14. The Hurricanes have also aggregated the most points (99), just one more than the Blues with 98.

The Hurricanes scored five tries against the Rebels. This is the 150th time they have scored four or more tries in a Super Rugby match.

The Hurricanes have scored four or more tries in eight of their nine matches against the Rebels.

This was the Hurricanes 257th match in New Zealand. They have aggregated 6999 points and conceded 5997 points in those matches.

After two rounds Jordie Barrett, with 27 points, is second on the point scorers table behind Richie Mo’unga(Crusaders) who has 42 points. Barrett has scored one try and kicked 11 conversions whilst Mo’unga has four tries and 11 conversions. Both have succeeded with 11 of their 13 attempts at goals.

Jordie Barrett landed all four of his attempts at goal against the Rebels and having had success with his last five attempts in the previous match against the Waratahs, he has not missed any of his last nine kicks at goal. He made no attempt to kick a penalty against the Rebels.
So far in 2021, the Hurricanes have been awarded 99 penalties of which 21 attempts have been made to convert. Sixteen have been successful.

With his two tries, Julian Savea has taken his total against the Rebels to six, a new Hurricanes record against that side. The record was previously held by Nehe Milner-Skudder who scored five times.

The Hurricanes third try, and Savea’s second, was the 50th by the Hurricanes in all matches against the Rebels.

This was the 10th time Julian Savea has scored two or more tries in a match. Ngani Laumape has also done so on 10 occasions but the record holder is Christian Cullen (14) followed by Ma’a Nonu with 12.

Having scored two tries in the previous match against the Waratahs, Savea provided just the eighth occasion where a player has scored at least two tries in successive matches in the same season. Christian Cullen has done so three times: in 1997, 1999 and 2003, Beauden Barrett in 2014, Vince Aso in 2017, Ben Lam in 2018 (he scored two and four tries in his two matches) and Ngani Laumape in 2019 ( three and two tries). Julian Savea is also on record as having scored two tries in the final match of 2012, and another two in the first match in 2013.

It was Julian Savea’s 57th Super Rugby match at the Westpac/Sky Stadium and his 50th start. His two tries extended his record at the Stadium to 30, including a penalty try in the match against the Blues in 2013. Those 30 tries have bought up 150 points for him at the venue.

Savea, with his four tries, is top-equal with the Crusaders Richie Mo’unga for most tries scored after two rounds of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.

According to the Rugby Almanack records Julian Savea’s two tries took his total in all Super Rugby matches to 57, one more than the previous Hurricanes record holders Christian Cullen and TJ Perenara who have both scored 56 tries. Two of Savea’s tries have been listed as penalty tries (awarded to the individual) but there is now some doubt as to whether or not those two tries should be included in his tally.

Christian Cullen scored his 56 tries in 85 matches, TJ Perenara played 140 matches whilst Julian Savea’s 56th and 57th tries were scored in his 128th Super Rugby match.

Wes Goosen had scored a try in the previous match against the Rebels.

Gareth Evans appeared in a match for the first time this year. His last appearance had been against the Crusaders at Wellington on 5 July 2020. He missed 15 matches in the interim.

Jordie Barrett remains as the only player to have started in all 10 Hurricanes matches in 2021.

Orbyn Leger scored his first points for the Hurricanes when he successfully converted the Hurricanes last try scored by Asafo Aumua. In the previous match against the Waratahs he had made two unsuccessful attempts at conversions.

Jonathan Taumateine and Orbyn Leger became the 53rd Halfback/First-Five eighth combination to start a Super Rugby match for the Hurricanes. They are the fourth different new pairing in 2021.

James Blackwell and Scott Scrafton started as the Locking combination together for the 14th time. In itself this is not significant but it is when they have been together more times than any other combination since James Broadhurst and Jeremy Thrush ended their partnership in the Final at Wellington against the Highlanders in 2015, after starting in 31 matches together. There have been 22 different combinations tried in between.

Lolagi Visinia made his debut for the Hurricanes and is the seventh new player to the side in 2021. He brings the number of those who have made at least one appearance for the side this year to 36. Visinia had previously played 33 matches for the Blues between 2013 and 2016.

Lolagi Visinia is the 271st to appear in a match for the Hurricanes, just the fourth to make his debut against the Rebels and is the 30th to have represented Hawke’s Bay at the time of his debut.

Michael Wells’ try for the Rebels was the 50th to be scored in all Super Rugby Trans-Tasman matches played so far.