Hurricanes dominate to reach 5-0 but perfect start not ‘everything’

With a perfect 5-0 record, the table-topping Hurricanes are the form side in Super Rugby Pacific but playmaker Jordie Barrett stressed that it’s not “everything” at this stage of the season.

The Hurricanes are the only undefeated side left after five rounds but the men from New Zealand’s capital aren’t getting ahead of themselves after going on a similar run last season.

With former coach Jason Holland at the helm, the Canes started the 2023 campaign with six wins from as many starts before losing to teams including the Drua, Chiefs, Blues and Crusaders.

They ended up finishing just outside the top four which saw the Canes travel across the Tasman for a quarter-final blockbuster against the Brumbies, which they lost 37-33 in Canberra.

While the Hurricanes were visibly thrilled and proud of their efforts after beating the Melbourne Rebels 54-28 on Friday, there’s still a long way to go in their quest for championship glory.

“It’s a great start but it’s not everything. We had a great start last year,” Jordie Barrett said on Sky Sport’s broadcast.

“For us, it’s just about trying to be consistent every week and trying to learn as we go.

“It’s a great start for us.”

After beating the Crusaders last time out, the Hurricanes made 14 changes to their starting side ahead of a home match outside of Wellington up the road in Palmerston North.

Playing at Central Energy Trust Arena, wing Salesi Rayasi crossed for a first-half double as the Canes played at a point a minute for about the first 31 minutes of the contest.

It was a bit more of a battle after the break with the Rebels crossing for multiple tries, including a score on debut for 2023 Junior Wallaby Mason Gordon, but the result was never in doubt.

The Hurricanes put on a show at their home away from home, with the ladder-leaders making a statement with an utterly dominant 54-28 victory.

“Yeah it’s great to be back,” Barrett discussed after returning from a three-game suspension.

“We had a massive challenge tonight, the Rebels are a great side, they play a lot of rugby and have been going through a lot of adversity as a franchise and we knew they were just going to keep turning up for each other.

“It was a tough battle.

“Some great control, particularly with a  lot of rotation and changes and some great guys that haven’t had an opportunity in the jersey yet this year and they were outstanding tonight,” he added.

“It was important for us to start strong and yeah, we got a little bit loose in the end there but we’ll take a win against a good Rebels side.”

As for the Rebels, they’ve now lost two matches on the bounce and sit mid-table with a record of two wins and three defeats to date.

The Rebels’ forwards were outmuscled by their opponents, and the backs couldn’t really fire as they weren’t given much opportunity to play with front-foot ball.

After losses to the Queensland Reds and now Hurricanes, captain Rob Leota highlighted the key lesson for the Rebels to learn going into their next clash away to the Waratahs in Sydney.

“We knew it was going to be tough coming over here but we had a real focus on ourselves to really build on last week’s performance,” Leota said.

“Just those big moments, we’ve got to stay in it. We know that’s a big work on for us.”