Hurricanes v Chiefs Stat Attack

The Hurricanes met the Chiefs in Hamilton this past Friday night, continuing their winning ways. Some facts and figures from that fixture by Peter Marriott below.

Week 14 v Chiefs (2): Won 20-17

The Hurricanes and the Chiefs have now met on 45 occasions. The Hurricanes have won 23 matches to the Chiefs 20. There have been two drawn matches.

The Hurricanes have equalled their record for most matches played against another side. They have also played 45 matches against the Crusaders.

Of the 21 matches the Hurricanes have played away to the Chiefs, they have now won eight and lost 11. The two drawn matches have both been in Hamilton.

The Hurricanes 23 wins against the Chiefs are second only to their 26 victories against the Highlanders.

The Hurricanes 20 points in this match is the lowest score they have ever made to beat the Chiefs. Previously their record lowest score was in their 21-13 win at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth in 2015. This was the Hurricanes first away match in New Plymouth having surrendered the venue as a home ground to the Chiefs after last hosting a match there in 2012. The Hurricanes have not played there since that match in 2015.

The Hurricanes have scored 20 points in a Super Rugby match 14 times. This was only their fifth win when
scoring that number of points.

The Hurricanes have beaten the Chiefs in both of their matches played this season. Earlier, in Round 8, the Hurricanes had won 36-23 at home in Wellington.

This is only the second time the Hurricanes have beaten the Chiefs twice in the same year. It also happened in 2015. However, in 2020 the two sides met on three occasions and the Hurricanes won all three matches.

That was the final season when Super Rugby included teams from Argentina, Japan and South Africa. The Hurricanes last-ever match in that competition was against the Chiefs at Hamilton (won 27-24) but then they beat them twice more in the newly instigated Super Rugby (Aotearoa) competition at Hamilton again (25-18), and 31-18 in Wellington.

For the third week running, the Hurricanes remain in second place in the Standings although they are tied on 51 points with the Blues. Both sides have won 11 and lost two of their matches but the Blues are at the top because of a higher differential in points. The Blues have scored 457 points and conceded 216, a difference of +241 points. The Hurricanes have scored 439 points and conceded 267, a difference of +172 points.

This was the Hurricanes sixth away win this season. They also achieved this many in 2012, 2017 and 2019. Their record for away wins in any year is seven (from eight matches) in 2015. Their one loss was against the Crusaders (18-35) in the only Super Rugby match they have ever played at Trafalgar Park in Nelson.

The Hurricanes kept the Chiefs scoreless at halftime: the fifth occasion they have done this to another side this season. A further eight of the 12 Super Rugby sides have achieved this at least once. The Chiefs have done so three times, Moana Pasifika twice, and the Blues, Crusaders, Fijian Drua, Force, Highlanders and the Reds one time each.

With the exception of one side, all of the above went on to win their matches. The exception was the Force who led the Highlanders 3-0 in their Round 10 clash but eventually lost 6-7 in one of Super Rugby’s lowest-ever match aggregates. The Highlanders actually do have a share in the record lowest aggregate: it was their match against the Crusaders at the old Carisbrook Ground in Dunedin in 2009 when the Highlanders prevailed 6-0.

This was the second time the Chiefs have failed to score against the Hurricanes in the first half. The first occasion was the first-ever match between the two sides, at the Rotorua International Stadium in 1996, when the Hurricanes eventually won 23-15 after leading 13-0 at the break. This, by the way, is the only match the Hurricanes have ever played in Rotorua.

The Hurricanes six points in the second half are the fewest scored in any match since they failed to score any against the Chiefs at Wellington last year. The home side was ahead 17-8 at the break but lost the match 33-17.

For the second week in a row the Hurricanes made 11 changes to their starting line-up from the fifteen who started in last week’s match (against Moana Pasifika). There were six changes in the backs and five in the forwards.

The Hurricanes have now won 15 of their matches by a margin of three points, including four times against the Chiefs. This number is only “bettered” by their 18 wins by a margin of six points.

For the 12th time in 13 matches this season the Hurricanes first points have been courtesy of a try. The first try in this match was in the 19th minute: the “slowest” to be scored so far.

The 2,500th Super Rugby try aggregated by the Hurricanes and all opposition sides since 1996, was scored in this match. The honour of scoring it went to the Chiefs Emoni Narawa. There was one more try scored and the make-up of the tries scored is Hurricanes 1,393 and Opposition 1,108.

The Hurricanes two tries took their total in all away matches to the Chiefs to 50. Likewise, the two Chiefs tries took their total in all home matches against the Hurricanes to 51.

Xavier Numia and Jordie Barrett scored the tries for the Hurricanes. For Numia, it was his sixth in 59 appearances and first against the Chiefs. He had scored just one try in his first 51 matches: there have been five more in his last eight matches.

Xavier Numia has scored the first try for the Hurricanes in three of their matches this year. The first instance was against the Highlanders at Dunedin in Round 6 (after 11 minutes), then against the Brumbies at Canberra in Round 10 after 12 minutes, (he also scored the side’s second try of that match 20 minutes later), and after 19 minutes in this match against the Chiefs.

Jordie Barrett’s try was his 30th in 107 Super Rugby matches for the Hurricanes. He had scored two previously against the Chiefs at Wellington in 2019. Barrett has now scored a total of 783 Super Rugby points including 91 against the Chiefs.

Barrett took a rare kick at goal. Prior to this one he had successfully landed all seven previous attempts this season. He missed, but only narrowly when he hit the left-hand upright.

Jordie Barrett captained the side in his own right for the first time. He had previously been a co-captain with Asafo Aumua in the first two rounds of the season. Apart from these two the Hurricanes have had Brad Shields and Billy Proctor also lead the side in 2024. This is the second occasion there have been four players in charge in the one year. In 2007 Rodney So’oialo (six matches), Tana Umaga (five matches), Conrad Smith and Paul Tito (one match each) all had a time as leader. Unfortunately between the four of them they managed just six wins in 13 matches.

Brett Cameron’s 10 points took his tally in 17 matches for the Hurricanes to 120. He had kicked 11 points in the earlier round against the Chiefs.

In the 76th minute Kini Naholo crossed for a try which was awarded by the on-field referee Paul Williams. However, upon being referred to the TMO Richard Kelly, the try was disallowed due to a previous knock-on by Richard Judd.

Devan Flanders played his 50th match for the Hurricanes. He made his debut against the Stormers at Cape Town on 1 February 2020 going on as a replacement. Flanders has started 29 of his matches and been a substitute in 21. He has missed 20 matches since making his debut and has scored seven tries.

Flanders is the franchise’s 62nd player to reach this milestone.

TK Howden returned to the side after having missed the previous nine matches.

Emoni Narawa scored his second try against the Hurricanes: the first was in Round 8. His nine tries this year place him in second-equal position on the try-scorers table.

Wallace Sititi, in his debut year, scored his second try.

The ever-present Damon McKenzie contributed seven points with the boot. With his 13 points in the earlier round his total in two matches this season against the Hurricanes is 20. In all matches against the Hurricanes McKenzie has now scored 183 points, just 10 short of equalling the Crusaders Dan Carter’s record 193 points.

McKenzie is the highest point scorer this year with 142 points which has extended his record for most points scored for the Chiefs to a total of 1,212.

There were three yellow cards issued during this match. The Hurricanes Raymond Tuputupu was awarded the first one after eight minutes to be followed at the 25 minute mark by one to the Chiefs player Kaylum Boshier.

Kini Naholo received the second card issued to the Hurricanes after 58 minutes. However, on being reviewed shortly after receiving his first card, Tuputupu’s infringement was upgraded to a red card.

Two Chiefs players namely Jared Proffit and Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi had previously played for the Hurricanes.

Proffit appeared only once, in 2022, and Tahuriorangi 11 times in 2016 and 2017 including the match against the British & Irish Lions in the latter year.

There was an amusing incident during the match when the referee was accidentally sent sprawling to the ground by the Chiefs Etene Nanai-Seturo.

Overall, the Hurricanes have now played 404 Super Rugby matches. They have won 233 (57.7%), lost 165 and drawn six.