The Hurricanes have won their tenth match in a row against the Highlanders, putting on a slick second-half masterclass to run out 50-7 visitors in Dunedin on Friday night.
Ahead 19-7 at halftime, the visitors punished the Highlanders’ discipline and misfiring lineout, scoring five tries in the second half to fire a massive warning shot to the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific competition.
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The hosts got on the board inside the first ten minutes thanks to a linebreak from Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, the talented fullback continuing to have a good year for the Highlanders.
The visitors turned to pressure with ball in hand, and were rewarded less than ten minutes later when Cam Roigard caught the hosts around the ruck, scoring his sixth try in as many matches against the men in Dunedin.
The Hurricanes turned to their scrum, their set piece proving effective against the home side. With several scrums in front of the posts in Highlanders territory, the Canes took the lead for the first time in the 20th minute as Roigard bagged his second for the night.
After butchering a try-scoring opportunity, the hosts' discipline continued to do them no favours, with the Highlanders pulling further ahead in the 35th minute, with a pinpoint Love kick finding winger Fehi Fineanganofo to score in the corner, going into the break up 19-7.
The Highlanders managed to get their scrum under control in the second half, with the Hurricanes getting pinged for repeated infringements in the front row.
However, the hosts struggled to capitalise on their abundance of possession and territory, with Timoci Tavatavanawai struggling to get into the game.
It took until the 50th minute for the Hurricanes to get the ball, but once they did, the side capitalised immediately with a brilliant long-range effort, Devan Flanders scoring the visitors’ fourth.
Repeated infringements by the Hurricanes at scrum time saw Xavier Numia sent to the bin, with the hosts unable to capitalise, the lineout struggling to function despite a good build-up of field position.
The hosts then saw Veveni Lasaqa sent to the bin for a dangerous cleanout in the 60th minute, with the visitors capitalising two minutes later, as Fineanganofo scored his second in the corner.
The visitors made it comprehensive in the 67th minute, with substitute Bailyn Sullivan scoring his side's sixth, before Fineanganofo secured a hat-trick three minutes later, piling on the misery for the hosts.
A final try to Peter Lakai after the final siren saw the visitors crack the half-century, icing a dominant night in the South Island.
Highlanders 7 (Tries: Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens. Cons: Pasitoa 1/1. Card: Lasaqa) def byHurricanes 50 (Tries: Roigard 2, Fineanganofo 3, Flanders, Sullivan, Lakai. Cons: Love 5/8. Cards: Numia)
