Hurricanes v Crusaders Stat Attack

Jordie Barrett started at Fullback for the 58th time (including the match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017) for the Hurricanes in their season opener against the Crusaders last Saturday and is now one start ahead of Cory Jane in that position. At the top of the list though is Christian Cullen who started 83 matches in the No 15 jersey, between 1996 and 2003.

• By Peter Marriott

The Hurricanes met a first round 2022 Super Rugby competition defeat to the Crusaders last Saturday in Dunedin.

They are back in Dunedin this coming Saturday evening to play the Blues.

Some facts and figures from their first match below.

Round 1 v Crusaders: Lost 32-42

The Hurricanes loss is the 19th time in 27 years in which they have been beaten in their opening match of a new season. It is the second occasion they have lost their opening match in three successive seasons but between 2001 and 2004, and between 2011 and 2014, they went four straight seasons losing their opening match.

The Hurricanes record in all Super Rugby matches is now played 362, won 205 (56.6%), lost 151 and drawn six.

This was the first time the Hurricanes have played a match at a neutral venue. They had previously played 17 matches in Dunedin, the home venue of the Highlanders, including nine matches at the Forsyth Barr Stadium for five wins and four losses.

The Hurricanes and the Crusaders have now met at eight different venues: two in Christchurch, one in Dunedin, one in Napier, one in Nelson, one in New Plymouth and two in Wellington.

The Hurricanes have lost their last three matches against the Crusaders, and nine of their last 10 encounters.

The Hurricanes have now met the Crusaders on 42 occasions for 13 wins, 27 losses and two draws.

The Crusaders 42 points were the most conceded by the Hurricanes to that side since losing 14-42 at Wellington in April 2012. Prior to then the Crusaders highest scores against the Hurricanes were 48-20 at Wellington in 2002 and 47-7 at Christchurch in the Semi-final of 2005.

The last time the Hurricanes conceded 42 or more points to another New Zealand side was when they lost 44-49 against the Highlanders at Wellington in July 2013.

The Hurricanes losing margin against the Crusaders was 10 points and they were perhaps a little unlucky in having two tries disallowed. The first was “scored” by Asafo Aumua in the 39th minute but the TMO overruled it due to a double movement. The second occurred in the 62nd minute when captain Ardie Savea crossed the line only to have his try ruled out due to an earlier knock-on. In the first half Savea had also crossed the line but failed to force the ball down.

Jamie Booth returned to the Hurricanes having last played in 2020. That was against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 15 August 2020, he having also started in that match. Booth made his debut for the Hurricanes in 2018 but missed the following year. He has now played 25 matches and started in just three of them.

Booth, along with Ruben Love, provided the 55th different Halfback/First-five eighth combination to start a Super Rugby match for the Hurricanes.

Jordie Barrett started at Fullback for the 58th time (including the match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017) and is now one start ahead of Cory Jane in that position. At the top of the list though is Christian Cullen who started 83 matches in the No 15 jersey, between 1996 and 2003.

Three players made their first appearance for the Hurricanes in this match. They were Jacob Devery, Justin Sangster and Bailyn Sullivan. Sangster started the match at Lock to become the 34th different player to do so in this position. The other two made their appearance off the bench. These three took the number of players who have made at least one appearance for the Hurricanes in a Super Rugby match to 273.

Sangster, along with James Blackwell, provided the 60th different locking combination to start a match for the Hurricanes.

Sullivan had previously played for the Chiefs between 2018 and 2021 making just eight appearances over four seasons although he did not appear in 2020. He became the 24th player to score a try on his Hurricanes debut and the first to do so in Dunedin. He is also only the third to score on debut against the Crusaders, after Ma’a Nonu and Joe Ward both did so at Christchurch during the same match in February 2003.

Wes Goosen and Du’Plessis Kirifi, who both started in this match, also scored a try on their Hurricanes debut.

Ben May appeared in his 100th match for the Hurricanes. It was actually his 99th Super Rugby match as he had also played against the British & Irish Lions in 2017. Prior to joining up with the Hurricanes he had made his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders in 2007 playing two matches before moving to the Chiefs for whom he played 33 times between 2008 and 2011, but missing 2010. He made his Hurricanes debut on 25 February 2012 against the Stormers at Cape Town.

May has achieved a certain notoriety in that he has become the oldest player to ever appear in a Super Rugby match. He was born on 13 October 1982 which makes him 39 years and 129 days old in the match against the Crusaders. The previous oldest player was Brad Thorn who was 39 years and 67 days old when he appeared in his final match, for the Highlanders against the Bulls at Dunedin, on 11 April 2014.

After appearing off the bench in all 14 of his previous matches, Pouri Rakete-Stones started a match for the first time. In doing so he became the 33rd different Hurricanes player to start at Prop. Rakete-Stones, along with Tyrel Lomax and Asafo Aumua, became the 81st different Prop/Hooker/Prop combination to start a Super Rugby match for the Hurricanes.

Ruben Love‘s try was his second for the Hurricanes, but his first against the Crusaders.

Jordie Barrett scored his 21st try but it was just his second against the Crusaders. With a total of 17 points in the match, Barrett has taken his tally in 12 appearances against that side to 93 and he is now only six points shy of brother Beauden’s record 99 points achieved in 14 matches.

Jackson Garden-Bachop scored his first try for the Hurricanes in his 20th match. However, that try has made him unique in that he is the only Hurricanes player to have scored in all four ways against the Crusaders.

On 21 June 2020 in Wellington, he kicked a conversion, five penalties and a drop goal for a personal tally of 20 points, that drop goal being just the second-ever by a Hurricanes player against the Crusaders after Christian Cullen’s effort at Christchurch in 1999.

Brayden Iose registered the first yellow card for the Hurricanes in 2022, in the 65th minute.

Leicester Fainga’anuku scored three tries against the Hurricanes, two in the first half and one in the second: they were scored in the space of 45 minutes of play. He has become just the second Crusaders player to score a hat-trick of tries against the Hurricanes after Scott Hamilton, in the Semi-final match at Christchurch in 2005.

Simon Hickey made his debut for the Crusaders and kicked a conversion. He had previously played for the Blues (in 2014/15) making his Super Rugby debut against the Crusaders, and although he was a part of the Hurricanes squad in 2020/21, he never actually got to play in a match.

The Crusaders were awarded a penalty try in the 65th minute. This is the first-ever conceded by the Hurricanes against the Crusaders.