Rugby: Hurricanes crunch Chiefs, go top of Super Rugby table

Beauden Barrett beats a levitating Brodie Retallick to score a try. Photo / Getty

The Hurricanes have confirmed their status as the team to beat in Super Rugby.

After beating the Chiefs 25-13 in Wellington on Friday night, the club moved to the top of the table and extended their winning streak to six games.

Both sides went into the match on a five-game winning streak, but the Hurricanes showed their class with Beauden Barrett orchestrating a second-half attack to put the points in the Hurricanes' bag.

Both sides lost forwards to injury early in the encounter. Hurricanes loose forward Sam Henwood was taken from the field in the early minutes after a head knock and would not return, while the Chiefs lost prop Aidan Ross to a season-ending ankle injury in the 17th minute, and No.8 Taleni Seu in the 32nd minute.

Injuries aside, there was little to write home about in the first half as solid defence was on show at both ends of the park. As a result, both sides' attacking game was sketchy and stagnant.

The tone of the night for the Chiefs was set in the opening minute, when hooker Nathan Harris broke the line and could have sent winger Solomon Alaimalo down his outside, but instead held onto it and got belted by Jordie Barrett.

It was there that the difference-maker in the opening 40 minutes came. Unlike the Chiefs, Hurricanes star winger Ben Lam took his opportunity when he got it to score the only try of the half, with the Wellington club leading 10-6 at half time.

The game opened up in the second stanza, with Barrett leaping on a loose ball before going on to score in the corner in the 45th minute. He was followed over soon after by midfielder Ngani Laumape and, just like that, the Hurricanes were ahead by 16.

The Chiefs had shown glimpses on attack throughout the game – with fullback Charlie Ngatai and Alaimalo looking particularly dangerous despite the latter struggling to get the ball in his hands – and found their way over the line through loose forward Lachlan Boshier with 20 minutes to play.

Despite looking like threatening late in the match, the Chiefs were unable to keep an attack going for long enough to get in striking distance of the line and the Hurricanes took the win.

Hurricanes 25 (Ben Lam, Beauden Barrett, Ngani Laumape tries; Jordie Barrett 2 cons, 2 pens)
Chiefs 13 (Lachlan Boshier try; Damian McKenzie con, 2 pens)
HT: 10-6