Hurricanes steal victory from Crusaders

A thrilling match in Round 4 of the 2013 Super Rugby tournament saw the Hurricanes steal a late 29-28 win from the Crusaders at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Following the loss to the Blues, the Crusaders were looking to make an early impact, and did so, with Ryan Crotty breaking through the defence and getting over the tryline.

The Crusaders continued their attacking focus in the second-half, with Israel Dagg hacking a loose ball down the field and controlling it to score a try in the 50^th minute.

The Hurricanes hit back, with Conrad Smith distributing outwide to big winger Julian Savea. Savea showed that he doesn’t need space to cause havoc, and the powerful flyer impressively bumped off two tackles to make it over the line. The score lay at 21-19 to the Crusaders.

Carter picked up a try for himself, after kicking ahead a low pass and regathering it over the Hurricanes’ line.

The Crusaders looked confident to close out the game, but a floated pass by George WHitelock was plucked out of the air by Hurricanes’ winger, Alapati Leiua, who raced away for an interception try.

Carter attempted a last-minute drop-goal to snatch back the win, but his shot drifted left of the uprights, allowing Hurricanes to slow down play and seal the win.

Rugby Informer’s player of the match: Julian Savea – the big winger caused chaos every time he touched the ball, and once again showed his deadly finishing skills. Possibly the most dangerous winger in the competition.

Hurricanes:
Tries: Savea, Leiua
Cons: Barrett (2)
Pens: Barrett (5)

Crusaders:
Tries: Crotty, Flynn, Dagg, Carter
Cons: Carter (4)