Super Rugby Pacific: Canes fall agonisingly short in epic quarterfinal

Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea reacts after not being awarded a try in the final minute of the quarterfinal against the Brumbies, in Canberra.
Photo: Photosport / AAP / Lukas Coch

Opinion – Ardie Savea’s face said it all after his side’s pulsating 37-33 quarterfinal loss to the Brumbies in Canberra last night.

After breathlessly claiming that he’d in fact scored the try that was denied by the ref and TMO on the last play of the game, the Hurricanes skipper’s eyes turned skyward, welled up a little as his voice broke when he realised that was it. Their season is over and they’ll be watching the semifinals like the rest of us next weekend.

Emotional and honest, absolutely. Everything was going according to the script in the Super Rugby Pacific quarterfinals, and while the fact that the Brumbies and Canes match being the most interesting had definitely been part of the foreshadowing, it was certainly a welcome twist that they decided to put in a contender for match of the season.

There’s no reason to doubt Savea, he knows better than anyone if he got the ball down and his body language immediately after the fact certainly backed up his claim. But here’s the bit that will sting for Hurricanes fans: the Brumbies probably deserved the win.

They gashed the Hurricanes for three first-half tries in almost the same spot, showing that they’d done their homework, then chanced their arm perfectly to set up Tom Wright’s crucial score with 10 minutes to go.

Their coach, Stephen Larkham, seemed to have given journeyman first five Jack Debrezceni a pretty clear message, which was ‘play the way I used to’. In the shadow of the stand named after the Wallaby legend at GIO Stadium, Debrezceni responded with a stunningly composed display of taking the line on and smart kicking, a performance that may well have been the difference in such a tight game.

While the Hurricanes were often brilliant, they will probably rue opting for shots at goal from 30 to 40 metres out instead of setting themselves up with attacking lineouts. Brett Cameron was on target for all but one off the tee but if it’s not often the Hurricanes have a negative try differential in such a high scoring game.

Review Jamie Wall’s match blog

That’s the second memorable match these sides have put on this year, with the 32-27 victory by the Hurricanes in round 10 just not quite getting the dramatic finish it deserved after some stunning rugby was played. It’s fair to say this quarterfinal more than made up for it in that department, though.

Kini Naholo eludes a Brumbies tackler on his way to scoring for the Hurricanes, in Canberra.
Photo: Photosport / AAP / Lukas Coch

Other observations from the weekend:

Savea’s non-try really did highlight how stupid the review process is, though. Referee Nic Berry just made a guess and therefore shackled the TMO to it in doing so, why not let the guy with access to the footage make the call? But it shouldn’t have really come down to that. A couple of rucks beforehand, Jordie Barrett had an unmarked Bailyn Sullivan outside him, with the replacement back set to walk over the line and win the game clean if he’d got the ball. Problem was, Jordie never passed it to him.

Aside from conceding the first try, everything about the Blues’ 41-12 win over the Waratahs went how everyone predicted – albeit after some half-time readjustments. A sad but also sadly familiar way for Michael Hooper to play his last game on Eden Park, but the real story here is how on earth this match managed to get scheduled at the same time as the Warriors’ standout performance against the Raiders?

The Chiefs did it the hard way against a very brave Reds side in their 29-20 win. Again, not a surprise that the Australians were up for it given that the Reds beat the Chiefs not that long ago, but the intriguing part is that Pita Gus Sowakula scored the winner. The loose forward, discarded in odd circumstances last year by the All Blacks, is showing the same sort of form lately that got him in a black jersey in the first place.

The weather in Christchurch was cold, but not as coldly clinical as the Crusaders were in beating the Drua 49-8. Hats off to the Fijians for making the playoffs in only their second year of existence, but they ran into a Crusaders team that has definitely clicked into finals mode. The result was settled after the first 15 minutes as the home side hung onto the ball for the entire time, scoring three tries.

That sets up a blockbuster in Christchurch on Friday night, with Blues captain Dalton Papalii not able to help himself when asked about the rivalry that will resume between his side and the Crusaders. In Friday’s post-match Papalii mentioned “bad blood” between the “city boys and country boys”, a refreshingly honest take that sets the scene for a fiery semifinal build-up.