Canes bust Aussie hoodoo with win over Brumbies
The Hurricanes' Cam Roigard celebrates with Ngane Punivai, after a try against the Brumbies on Saturday night.
Photo:
Mark Evans/ActionPress
Two tries each to Kini Naholo and Ngane Punivai proved to be extremely valuable for the Hurricanes as they picked up their first win of the season by a New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific team on Australian soil. They toppled the third-placed Brumbies in Canberra, crucially hanging on and making the right decisions at the business end of the game.
The return of midfield duo Riley Higgins and Billy Proctor made a massive difference as well, with Proctor scoring after Allan Alaalatoa had struck first for the home side. Newly re-signed wing Ngane Punivai then added another on the half hour mark, before Naholo blasted his way through just before half-time.
Naholo then benefited from some lovely hands by Callum Harkin to score his second, Punivai then followed suit off a slick scrum move. That made it a two-score game, and while the Brumbies pulled one back through Adam Muirhead, the Canes' defence and option-taking in the last seven minutes kept the ball solidly stationed in the opposition half.
The game finished with a disallowed try to Tyrel Lomax, which did cost the Canes a bonus point. However, the win shoots them all the way up into fifth place on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder.
It is a timely return to form for Clark Laidlaw's very inconsistent team, as they now embark on a tough run into the play-offs, starting with a home game against the Chiefs next weekend.
Meanwhile, the Brumbies have three Australian derby matches in a row coming up, before finishing their regular season against the Crusaders.
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