Hurricanes v Chiefs Stat Attack

The Hurricanes squared off against the Chiefs this past Saturday night.

Some facts and figures from the clash against the Chiefs by Hurricanes statistician Peter Marriott below.

Round 12 v Chiefs: Won 35-17

The Hurricanes and the Chiefs have now met on 47 occasions. The Hurricanes have won 24 matches and the Chiefs 21. There have been two draws.

The Hurricanes have also played the Crusaders 47 times, equalling the record for the most matches played by the Hurricanes against another side.

This was the second successive match in which the Hurricanes scored 35 points.

The Hurricanes have hosted the Chiefs on 26 occasions at home venues winning 16 times and losing 10. All of those 16 wins have been at the Westpac/Sky Stadium and whilst this happens to be a Hurricanes record for the most victories at one of their home grounds, it is also their most wins against a side on any ground.

Of their other home venues the Hurricanes never met the Chiefs at the old Athletic Park or at Napier. They played them once in Palmerston North (in 1997) and lost and also in New Plymouth in 1999 which was another loss.

The Hurricanes have beaten the Highlanders 15 times at home venues including 10 times at the Westpac/Sky Stadium.

The win against the Chiefs was the Hurricanes 49th at home against all the other New Zealand sides. They have beaten the Blues 10 times, the Chiefs 16 times, the Crusaders eight times and the Highlanders 15 times.

The second of two Chiefs tries was the 450th conceded by the Hurricanes in 166 matches played in Wellington:

42 tries in 10 matches at Athletic Park and 408 tries in 156 matches at Westpac/Sky Stadium.

The Hurricanes have now scored 142 tries against the Chiefs: the most against any other team. In second place is the Highlanders who have had 138 tries scored against them by the Hurricanes.

Of those 142 tries exactly 100 have been converted. The Chiefs are the first side the Hurricanes have kicked 100 conversions against.

The Hurricanes have aggregated 1144 points against the Chiefs, a new record against all sides surpassing their 1114 points against the Highlanders.

The Hurricanes have now won nine Super Rugby matches by 18 points but it is their first time against the Chiefs.

The Hurricanes highest winning margin against the Chiefs is 37 points in their 45-8 win at Wellington in 2014.

Their highest winning margin against the Chiefs away from home is eight points from their 23-15 win at Rotorua in 1996.

The match aggregate of 52 points has now been achieved in 14 Hurricanes matches. This equals the number of times the aggregate has been 45 points but is behind the record 53 points which has been reached on 17 occasions.

For the fifth time in a match the Hurricanes kept the Chiefs scoreless in a half. The first time was at Rotorua  in 1996 (first half), at Wellington in 2014 (second half), at New Plymouth in 2015 (second half), at Hamilton in 2024 (first half) and at Wellington in 2025 (second half). Needless to say the Hurricanes have won every time although in 2024 it required a 79th minute penalty to take the match.

After introducing three co-captains in their previous two matches, the Hurricanes added an extra one for this match. Three started the match: Asafo Aumua, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Billy Proctor whilst Brad Shields was listed on the bench.

Shields played in his 123rd Super Rugby match and moved into eighth place on the Hurricanes all-time list of appearances, one more than Tana Umaga.

There were four changes to the starting line-up from the one which played in the previous match against the Brumbies. All four changes were in the forwards.

A last minute change in the line-up (Zach Gallagher in for Caleb Delany) meant the latter’s run of 10 consecutive tarts came to an end.

Ngatungane Punivai went for a HIA which he passed.

Brayden Iose played his 50th match for the Hurricanes. He is the 67th to reach this milestone for the franchise.

Iose made his debut off the bench against the Chiefs at Hamilton in 2021. Of his 50 appearances 27 have been starts and 23 as a substitute.

Of the 67 players who have made 50 appearances for the Hurricanes 27 are backs and 40 are forwards.

Iose is the fourth Hurricanes player in 2025 to reach 50 matches: four also did so in 2007, 2019, 2020 and 2024 but there were five in 2008 and 2014. With a maximum of six matches remaining in the season, no-one will bring up their 50th for the Hurricanes but if he plays in all six matches Cameron Roigard will be left on 49.

Bailyn Sullivan has appeared in 44 matches and theoretically could bring up his 50th this year but eight of them were for the Chiefs.

Bailyn Sullivan scored four tries against his former team to equal the Hurricanes record for most tries scored byan individual in a match. The two players who went before him are Ben Lam (against the Rebels at Melbourne) and Ngani Laumape (against the Blues at Wellington), both instances were in 2018.

However, the three occasions differ in some respects. In Lam’s case he started the match and three others also scored a try. He scored two in the first half and two in the second half, in the space of 69 minutes.

Laumape also started and scored two tries in each half but he was quicker to score all four which he did in 49 minutes. Two others also shared the try scoring in his match.

Sullivan came off the bench (admittedly in the seventh minute when he replaced Kini Naholo), but he took just 27 minutes to cross the line four times. He was the Hurricanes sole try scorer and they were all scored in the second half. It was the second time Sullivan has scored two or more tries in a match and they were his first tries against the Chiefs. In 44 Super Rugby matches he has scored 13 tries including one for the Chiefs in 2021.

Interestingly Bailyn Sullivan’s third try had been as a direct result of a Callum Harkin 50/22 which hit the corner flag. From the lineout the ball was transferred to Ruben Love who kicked a perfect cross to an un-marked Sullivan hovering out on the wing.

This was the second occasion the Chiefs have had four tries scored against them by a single player. In 1998 the Sharks Stefan Terblanche dotted down four times at Port Elizabeth. He started the match and three other players each scored a try.

Ruben Love’s 15 points were his best return in a match. He now has 74 points from his 39 appearances for the Hurricanes.

For the Chiefs Daniel Rona scored two tries. He now has four against the Hurricanes: one was scored in 2023 and the other in last year’s Semi-final match.

Josh Jacomb’s seven points were his first against the Hurricanes.

Shaun Stevenson received a yellow card in the 59th minute.

This match was the Club Round and the Hurricanes players wore their club socks.

Referee Nic Berry was in charge of his 16th Super Rugby match which involved the Hurricanes. He also controlled their first match of the season against the Crusaders. The Hurricanes have won 11 times and lost five when he has had the whistle.

Although the Hurricanes won the match other results meant they remained in fifth position in the Standings: the same place they occupied the previous week.

The Hurricanes have a bye in the next round.

Overall, the Hurricanes have now played 418 Super Rugby matches. They have won 240 (57.4%), lost 171 and drawn seven.