Hurricanes v Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua matches Stat Attack

Round 3 v Fijian Drua: Lost 20-25

The Fijian Drua made their Super Rugby debut in 2022. They have now played the Hurricanes five times for two wins and three losses. The Fijian Drua’s first win (27-24) was at Suva in 2023.

Overall, the Fijian Drua have played 61 Super Rugby matches winning 19 of them.

This match was the first-ever played by the Hurricanes at Churchill Park in Lautoka. The ground has become a fortress for the home side. Of the 14 matches they have played there they have won 11. They lost their match at Lautoka which they played the week before, but prior to that outing they had won nine on the trot at that ground.

The Hurricanes have now played a Super Rugby match on 38 different grounds in 29 different towns and cities.

This round was labelled the Culture Round and before the match started the home side performed their new challenge Na Bole.

Playing conditions were atrocious with rain falling throughout the match and the surface breaking up. The humidity level was 85 degrees.

Two three-minute water breaks were taken during the match: the first after 20 minutes and the second at the 60 minute mark.

The Hurricanes failed to score a try in the second half for the first time since going tryless after 40 minutes against the Crusaders in Round 1 last year.

And here’s a fact you may care to ignore. The Hurricanes have won their first match and lost the second of a  new season for just the second time. The first occasion was in 2019 against the Waratahs and Crusaders respectively. On the other hand, the Hurricanes have lost their first match and won the second in 11 different seasons.

As he did in the first match played by the Hurricanes against Moana Pasifika, Fehi Fineanganofo scored the  first try. And by sheer coincidence it was at the same time: in the 12th minute. He has now scored nine tries in 14 appearances. It was his second try against the Fijian Drua.

Peter Lakai scored his ninth try in his 39th match for the Hurricanes. It was his first against the Fijian Drua.

Billy Proctor’s try was his 22nd in 70 matches. He has now scored a Hurricanes record four against the Fijian Drua, one more than Josh Moorby who scored a “hat-trick” at Wellington in 2022.

Jordie Barrett kicked five points to take his tally in 112 Super Rugby matches to 798. He is now only two points shy of becoming just the second player to score 800 points for the Hurricanes. Brother Beauden holds the record with 1238 points in 125 appearances. In three matches against the Fijian Drua, Jordie has scored 19 points.

Jordie Barrett experienced his first loss as Hurricanes stand-alone captain, in his fifth match in charge.

Bailyn Sullivan brought up his 50th match in Super Rugby. He made his debut in 2018 for the Chiefs and after playing just eight matches for them over three seasons moved to the Hurricanes in 2022. This was his 42nd match for his current team.

Lucas Cashmore made his long-awaited Super Rugby debut becoming Hurricanes Player #329. He replaced Callum Harkin in the 74th minute.

For the Fijian Drua, Motikiai Murray, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre and Etonia Waqa all scored their first try against the Hurricanes.

Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula kicked 10 points and has now scored 24 points against the Hurricanes. He is the highest point scorer for the Fijian Drua against the Hurricanes.

Armstrong-Ravula started the match on 189 points and at the end was sitting one point short of 200 in Super Rugby.

Dr Ben O’Keeffe had the whistle for his 16th match involving the Hurricanes. Their record under him is won eight and lost eight. O’Keeffe’s first time in charge was back in 2015 but amazingly had not refereed a Hurricanes match since April 2021.

Overall, the Hurricanes have now played 424 Super Rugby matches. They have won 244 (57.5%), lost 173 and drawn seven.

Round 2 v Moana Pasifika: Won 52-10

This was the eighth time the two teams have met. The Hurricanes have won six of those matches and Moana Pasifika two.

Moana Pasifika made their Super Rugby debut in 2022 and the Hurricanes had the misfortune to be the first side to lose (19-24) to them: at Mount Smart Stadium on 25 March. It was Moana Pasifika’s third-ever match.

The Hurricanes have scored 50 or more points in a Super Rugby match on 25 occasions including five times against Moana Pasifika.

This was the first time the Hurricanes have scored 52 points in a match.

The Hurricanes had a bye in Round 1.

This is the 31st year of Super Rugby but just the seventh time the Hurricanes have opened their season with a home match in Wellington. They have now won two of those games: the first was their first-ever match at the venue (against the Sharks in 2000) when it was known as WestpacTrust Stadium.

The Hurricanes 52 points in their first match of a season has only been bettered once: against the Sunwolves at Tokyo in 2017 when they won 83-17. Jordie Barrett made his debut in that match.

This was the Hurricanes final match to be played at “Sky” Stadium. When they play their next home match at this venue it will be known as the Hnry Stadium.

The Hurricanes first match at “Sky” Stadium was against the Sharks on 15 February 2020. The home team  won 38-22. Since then they have gone on to play a total of 38 matches for 26 wins (68.4%) and 12 losses.

The Hurricanes never lost to an overseas team at “Sky” Stadium, the losses all being to New Zealand sides.

The Blues, Chiefs and Crusaders all won four matches whilst the Highlanders failed to win one in their five attempts to do so.

Josh Moorby, who missed the 2025 season for the Hurricanes, scored three tries in the match. It could have  been four if his fourth try (awarded on-field) had not been ruled-out by the TMO due to a knock-on. Moorby equalled Ardie Savea’s Hurricanes record for most tries scored in a match against Moana Pasifika, achieved at Wellington in 2023. Josh Moorby now has five tries against Moana Pasifika, the most by any Hurricanes player.

Moorby also scored three tries in the match against Fijian Drua at Wellington in 2022.

Fehi Fineanganofo scored two tries and now has eight in 13 matches for the Hurricanes. It was the third time he has scored two tries in a match. They were his first tries against Moana Pasifika. He also had the honour of scoring the Hurricanes first points in 2026.

Brayden Iose also scored two tries and his tally in 52 matches is 16. It was the second time he has scored

twice in a match and he now has three tries against Moana Pasifika.

Billy Proctor scored his 21st try in his 69th match. It was his third against Moana Pasifika.

Brett Cameron, who was injured, kicked two points to take his total in 25 matches for the Hurricanes to 149.

Jordie Barrett led the team, in his own right, for the fourth time. He has yet to lose a match.

He kicked five conversions (10 points) to take his total in 112 matches for the Hurricanes to 804 points.

This total includes the 11 points he scored in the match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017. His total in Super Rugby sits on 793 points. Barrett lies second on the Hurricanes all-time point scoring table behind brother Beauden who scored 1238 points in 125 matches from 2011 to 2019.

There were three debutants for the Hurricanes. Warner Dearns started and Aresi Poliko and Matolu Petaia went on as substitutes. They become Player #326, #327 and #328 respectively.

Callum Harkin also played his first match (11th overall) against Moana Pasifika.

Siale Lauaki appeared in just his fifth match since making his debut in 2024. His last three have all been

against Moana Pasifika. The first was his final appearance in 2024, the second his only appearance in 2025 and now of course the first match of the 2026 season.

Ereatara Enari started for just the second time in his 13 matches for the Hurricanes. His first start was also against Moana Pasifika, at Albany last year.

Hugo Plummer made just his third start in nine matches for the Hurricanes. He wore the No 4 jersey for the first time having had No 5 on his back for his previous two starts.

Moana Pasifika introduced eight new players to Super Rugby.

Tuna Tuitama’s try was his first against the Hurricanes.

Patrick Pellegrini scored his first try against the Hurricanes With the 12 points he scored in the two matches  played last year he now has 17 points against the Hurricanes.

Neither side attempted to kick a penalty goal during the match.

Angus Gardner was in charge of a record-equalling match involving the Hurricanes. He joins fellow-Australian Stuart Dickinson, New Zealand’s Glen Jackson and South Africa’s Jonathan Kaplan as having refereed 19 matches. Interestingly it was Gardner’s second time in charge of a Hurricanes/Moana Pasifika match: the first was their final regular season match last year.

Overall, the Hurricanes have now played 423 Super Rugby matches. They have won 244 (57.7%), lost 172 and drawn seven.