Hurricanes v Rebels Stat Attack

• By Peter Marriott

The Hurricanes went 5/0 this past weekend to start the 2024 season. Some facts and figures from the game here by Peter Marriott.

Week 5 v Rebels: Won 54-28

The Hurricanes and the Rebels have now met on 12 occasions. The Hurricanes have won 11 matches to theRebels one. There have been no drawn matches.

The Rebels won the first-ever encounter between the two sides (42-25 at Melbourne in 2011) but the Hurricanes have won all of the 11 matches played since then.

Those 11 victories in a row against the Rebels is a new Hurricanes record for most successive wins on the trot against any side. The previous record was 10 against the Force between 2008 and 2021. They have also won nine in a row against both the Blues (2015 to 2019) and the Reds (2014 to 2024).

During the match the Hurricanes scored their 500th point (TJ Perenara’s try) against the Rebels. Their overall tally now stands at 513.
The Hurricanes have now won their last 17 matches played against Australian sides in New Zealand. Those wins are against the Rebels (five times), Brumbies (four), Force and Reds (three each) and Waratahs (two).

The Hurricanes have won their first five matches of 2024 and are now just two short of equalling theirbest-ever start to a season of seven straight wins in 2015.

The Hurricanes scored 50 points in a match for the 22nd time. It was the fourth occasion against the Rebels which equals their record against any team: the Cheetahs also conceded 50 or more points four times.

In all Super Rugby matches the Hurricanes have aggregated 10,969 points. However, when the 31 points they scored against the British & Irish Lions in 2017 are added, the grand total of points for the franchise is exactly 11,000. That total is made up of 1360 tries, 952 conversions, 758 penalties and six drop goals.

The Hurricanes scored 54 points in a match for the first time. The lowest score they have yet to achieve is 48.

The Hurricanes have scored eight tries in a match on seven occasions and a total of 15 matches when they have scored eight or more tries. Opposition sides have between them scored eight or more tries against the Hurricanes on just one occasion: the Blues scored eight in their record 60-7 win at Wellington in 2002.

The Hurricanes have now played 15 matches in Palmerston North winning 10 and losing five. It was their first match against the Rebels at the venue. Previously at this ground the Hurricanes have hosted the Brumbies (once), the Force (three times) and the Reds (once) but never the Waratahs. The Hurricanes have never been beaten by an Australian team at Palmerston North.

This was the Hurricanes fifth successive win in Palmerston North beating their previous record of four in a row between 1999 and 2005.
It was also the Hurricanes highest score on this ground bettering their 45-42 win against the Force last year.

The Hurricanes made 13 changes in their starting line-up to play the Rebels from the side which ran on against the Crusaders in the previous round. This was only one short of the record 14 changes made for the match against Moana Pasifika at Wellington in 2022.

Of the 13 changes in this match, there were six in the forwards and a record seven in the backs, one more than the six changes which occurred twice in two separate instances of consecutive matches in 2022.

The Hurricanes scored eight tries against the Rebels, a new record in any match played in Palmerston North. The previous record was seven, against the Force last year.

After Week 5, The Hurricanes remain at the top of the Standings, for the third week in a row and fourth week in total.

Brad Shields returned to the Hurricanes side having last made an appearance against the Crusaders at Christchurch on 28 July in the Semi-final match of 2018. He missed 79 matches in the interim or, put another way, he was absent for a total of 2004 days.

Of the 23 who played in this match against the Rebels, just three had appeared with Shields in his final match of 2018. They were Jordie Barrett, James O’Reilly and TJ Perenara.

Shields was the incumbent captain when he left and immediately resumed the captaincy on his return. His record in Super Rugby from 18 matches in charge is 13 wins and five losses. He also led the side in the drawn match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017.

Brad Shields scored his 11th try in 104 Super Rugby matches. It was his first against the Rebels.

Ngane Punivai made his debut for the Hurricanes having already represented three other Super Rugby sides. In 2019 he made two appearances for the Crusaders, a further nine between 2020 and 2022 for the Highlanders, and one appearance last year for the Chiefs.

Apart from Brad Shields and Ngane Punivai, four other players made their first appearance this year. They were: Harry Godfrey, Richard Judd (he did not play in 2023), Aidan Morgan and Daniel Sinkinson.

A total of 35 players, including four debutants, have made at least one appearance for the Hurricanes in 2024.

Jordie Barrett appeared in his 100th Super Rugby match. He is the 18th Hurricanes player to reach this milestone. He is also the first to do so in a match in Palmerston North and the first to do so against the Rebels.

Barrett scored two tries in the match to take his tally to 27. This was the fourth occasion he has scored two or more tries in a match. His second try brought up his 750th point in Super Rugby and his total now stands at 752. When his total is added to his brother Beauden’s total, together they have scored 1990 points in Hurricanes colours. However, if you add the 11 points Jordie kicked in the match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017, the grand total is 2001.

Jordie Barrett has now scored four tries against the Rebels and accumulated 55 points against them.

Salesi Rayasi scored his 24th and 25th try: it was the seventh time he has scored two or more tries in the same match. He has played 44 times for the Hurricanes and now has three tries against the Rebels.

The Hurricanes record for an individual scoring two or more tries in a match is held by Christian Cullen: 14 times in 85 appearances.
Du’Plessis Kirifi scored his eighth try in his 68th match.

Harry Godfrey scored his first try for the Hurricanes, in his ninth match.

TJ Perenara started his first match since appearing on 4 June against the Brumbies at Canberra in the 2022 Quarterfinal. This was his 153rd match and he now holds the Hurricanes record for most appearances in Super Rugby. He may have gone ahead of Julian Savea’s total of 152 matches but Savea played against the British & Irish Lions in 2017 which also gives him 153 match appearances for the Hurricanes.

Perenara’s try was his 59th and second against the Rebels and he is now just one short of equalling the Hurricanes record of 60 which is currently held by former Hurricane Julian Savea. Savea is now with Moana Pasifika and has gone on to set a new all-time Super Rugby record of 61 tries. TJ Perenara is in equal-third place on the list with Doug Howlett (five matches for the Hurricanes in 1998 and one try) and one behind former Waratahs player Israel Folau.

Aidan Morgan converted seven of the eight tries to give him a total of 14 points in the match.

For the Rebels tries were scored by Angelo Smith, Lukas Ripley, Mason Gordon and Jordan Uelese. Carter Gordon converted all four tries which included the one his brother Mason scored on debut. Carter Gordon also scored a try in last year’s match. For Ripley it was his fourth against the Hurricanes: he scored a hattrick in the match at Wellington in 2022. Smith and Uelese scored their first try for the Rebels against the Hurricanes.

There were no attempts at kicking a penalty goal by either side during the match.

All matches played this past weekend marked the Super Rugby Pacific Kids Round with thousands of free tickets being handed out to celebrate.

Overall, the Hurricanes have now played 396 Super Rugby matches. They have won 227 (57.3%), lost 163 and drawn six.