Hurricanes v Highlanders Stat Attack

Du’Plessis Kirifi on the leap against the Highlanders. He scored his 15th try in his 103rd match for the Hurricanes. It was his fourth against the Highlanders which includes a “pair” at Wellington in 2024. He has scored a try in each of his last three matches. Kirifi has now played a record 14 matches against the Highlanders, one more than the 13 he has played against the Blues and the Chiefs. Kirifi, who was on the bench against the Highlanders, was listed as a co-captain.

• By Peter Marriott

Round 15 v Highlanders: Won 45-28

This round was known as Super Kids Round.

The Hurricanes and Highlanders met earlier in Round 6 at Dunedin where the Hurricanes won 50-7.

They have now played each other on 46 occasions: The Hurricanes have won 31 times (their most wins against all Super Rugby opponents), lost 15 and drawn none.

The Hurricanes have beaten the Highlanders at all venues in their last 11 matches on the trot. Their last loss was in 2020 at Dunedin: 21-38.

The Hurricanes have beaten the Highlanders in their last 10 matches at home venues. Their last loss (14-21) was the 2015 Final at the then named Westpac Stadium.

The match just played was the 23rd hosted by the Hurricanes (the Highlanders have also hosted 23 matches) and they have won 17 times to the Highlanders six.

The Hurricanes have beaten the Highlanders at home venues more times than they have any of the other franchises (the Chiefs are next with 16 defeats).

The Hurricanes seven tries in the match against the Highlanders took their total to 156: the most against all sides. Next up are the Blues which have conceded 146 tries. The Hurricanes have also scored more points against the Highlanders (1233): the Blues are next, having conceded 1190.

Those seven tries also established a new Hurricanes record for the most times they have scored five or more tries in a match in one season. In their 13 matches played so far they have done so 11 times. In 2017 they hit five or more on 10 occasions, from 17 matches.

The Hurricanes have actually scored five tries or more 119 times and lost just four matches! Two of those losses were against the Blues (in 1997 and 1998), and once each against the Highlanders (2013) and Moana Pasifika (2025).

The Hurricanes have scored 84 tries in 2026, second only in number to the 97 scored in 2017.

The Hurricanes have now scored a combined total of 701 tries at their two home venues based in Wellington.

In 10 matches at the old Athletic Park they scored 41 tries and at the new stadium the total is 660 tries, from 163 matches. The 700th try was scored by Brayden Iose.

The Hurricanes have never lost a match when they have scored 45 points or more. However, they did lose 44-49 at Wellington in 2013, to the Highlanders.

In 214 matches played at home venues the Hurricanes have now won 149 (69.6%) of them. There have been 12 wins in Napier, eight in New Plymouth, 10 in Palmerston North and 119 in Wellington which includes the current stadium as well as Athletic Park.

The Hurricanes have won all six of their home matches played this season: one in Napier and five in Wellington.

They have yet to lose any of the four played at the newly named Hnry Stadium! When the venue was first used in 2000 it was known as WestpacTrust Stadium and of the first four matches played there one was lost.

In 2020 it became Sky Stadium and two of the first four matches played were lost.

Against the Highlanders the Hurricanes brought up 9000 points in all matches played in New Zealand. In 314 outings they have scored 1157 tries, 807 conversions, 539 penalties and six drop goals for a total of 9038 points. Two of the tries scored were seven-point penalty tries.

The Hurricanes come out to commence the second half.  The Hurricanes’ 28 points at halftime against the Highlanders were the most they have scored after 40 minutes against any side this season.

For the first time this season no centurion (100 appearances) started a match. The most experienced player was Isaia Walker-Leawere with 88 matches before this one.

The Hurricanes made seven changes to their starting line-up from that which took the field in the previous match against the Blues. There were four changes in the backs (the most in any game) and three in the forwards.

The Hurricanes head into the final round of regular play firmly at the top of the Standings with 55 points, some nine ahead of the second-placed Chiefs.

The Hurricanes have also continued to lead the competition with the most tries scored (84) and the fewest conceded (37). They have aggregated the most points (548) and conceded the fewest (251). They also have the two top try-scorers: Fehi Fineanganofo (16 tries) and Josh Moorby (13 tries).  Ruben Love is the sixth highest point scorer (86), 15 points behind the Brumbies Ryan Lonergan who has 101 points.

Josh Moorby played his 50th match for the Hurricanes and scored his 34th try: just his second against the Highlanders. He also scored a try on his Super Rugby debut against Moana Pasifika in 2022.

Of his 50 matches Moorby has started in 46 of them and been a replacement in four. He has missed 21 matches since debut but that total includes the 15 the side played in 2025 when he was overseas.

Moorby’s try was the “quickest” for the Hurricanes this year (in the second minute) and he has scored at least one try in each of his last five appearances. He has scored the Hurricanes first points in a match three times in 2026, the same number as has Fehi Fineanganofo and Cameron Roigard. All instances have naturally been tries.

Kini Naholo scored his 25th and 26th try in 35 matches for the Hurricanes. He now has three tries against the Highlanders and has scored a “pair” six times in a match. He also scored a “hattrick” against the Waratahs last year.

Ruben Love scored a try, his ninth in 52 appearances for the Hurricanes. It was his second against the Highlanders. He also kicked 10 points off the boot which gave him 15 for the match and which equalled his previous best return against the Chiefs in Wellington last year.

Ruben Love on his way to scoring his try.

Love’s total points in all matches is now 207 and he is the 13th Hurricanes player to reach the 200 point milestone. His 86 points so far in 2026 is better than the 84 points he scored last year and his 39 points against the Highlanders betters his previous best of 38 against the Reds.

Brayden Iose’s try was his 17th in 64 matches and third against the Highlanders.

Ereatara Enari scored the seventh and final try for the Hurricanes. It was his third in 24 appearances for the team. It was also his first try against the Highlanders.

Ngatungane Punivai made his first start of the season having missed the previous 10 rounds after coming off the bench in Round 3 against the Fijian Drua. Punivai played 14 matches for the Highlanders between 2020 and 2022. The Hurricanes are actually the fourth franchise he has played for: he has also represented the Chiefs and the Crusaders.

Punivai picked up a yellow card in the 41st minute.

Pouri Rakete-Stones was also awarded a yellow card, in the 67th minute, which took the number dished out to Hurricanes players in 2026 to seven.

Pasilio Tosi was the second player in the match to bring up his 50th appearance for the Hurricanes. For the first time he had started four matches in a row .Of his total matches played he started 18 and was a replacement in 32. From debut he missed 19 matches.

Tosi and Moorby provided the 71st and 72nd instance of a Hurricanes player appearing in 50 or more matches.

Tevita Mafileo was a replacement in the match and became just the second Hurricanes player to make 50 appearances off the bench. He has played a total of 67 games for the Hurricanes.

The record is held by Chris Eves who played 85 matches between 2014 and 2019 and was a substitute in 64 of them.

For the record only 25 of the 321 players who have appeared in at least one Super Rugby match started in every match they played. Kupu Vanisi holds the record for most matches played without being a substitute in any of them with 43, between 1999 and 2003.

Tom Allen made his debut when he went on as a replacement with a couple of minutes remaining. He becomes Hurricanes Player #332 and is the seventh to make his debut this season. He also takes the number of players to have been used in 13 matches in 2026 to 39.

Allen is the 23rd Hurricanes player to make his Super Rugby debut against the Highlanders.

Jordi Viljoen went on as a replacement for the eighth time in his nine matches for the Hurricanes. However, he has still not been in a losing side.

Brad Shields did not play against the Highlanders and created a record he will not be aware of. Since making his debut against the Stormers at Cape Town in 2012 he has appeared in 138 Super Rugby matches for the Hurricanes (plus one match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017) but since that first match he has missed out on playing in exactly 100. Admittedly this total is somewhat skewed by the fact he did not play for the Hurricanes between 2019 and 2023 whilst he was overseas. During that time the Hurricanes played 75 matches.

Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens scored his third try for the Highlanders against the Hurricanes. He also scored one in Round 6 this season and another earlier in 2024.

Timoci Tavatavanawai, Adam Lennox and Lucas Casey all scored their first try against the Hurricanes. Casey could have actually scored twice if he had not lost control of the ball over the line some 20 minutes before scoring his legitimate try.

Cameron Millar’s four conversions were his first points against the Hurricanes.

Daniel Lienert-Brown was awarded a yellow card in the seventh minute which was shortly afterwards upgraded to a red card. There have been four red cards issued so far in 2026: the Highlanders have “earned” two of them along with seven yellow cards.

Later, in the 42nd minute, Xavier Tito-Harris was also sent to the “naughty boys’ chair” for 10 minutes.

Angus Gardner was in charge of his third match this year which involved the Hurricanes (he also had the whistle in the Highlanders match in Round 6) and now has three Hurricanes/Highlanders matches on his CV.

He has extended his record for most Hurricanes matches controlled by a single referee to 21.

The Hurricanes have played 435 Super Rugby matches. They have won 254 (58.4%), lost 174 and drawn seven.

The Highlanders have played 429 Super Rugby matches for 197 wins (45.9%), 228 losses and four draws.

With a bye in the 16th and final round the Highlanders season has finished having failed to qualify for the Finals series. Their record in 2026 from 14 matches played was five wins and nine losses.