Rugby: Hurricanes facing uphill battle

Conrad Smith and his Hurricanes side sit fourth in the New Zealand conference with one win from five matches and ninth overall. Photo / Getty Images

The Hurricanes' hopes of making the finals of the inaugural Super 15 rugby tournament are hanging by a thread after a capitulation in Melbourne on Friday night.

The Wellington franchise leaked 40-plus points for the second week in succession, letting a 17-0 lead - racked up inside 17 minutes - slip to lose 42-25 to the Rebels.

That was on the back of a 41-17 hiding by the Blues last week and things do not get any easier for coach Mark Hammett. They face the defending champion the Bulls in Napier on Saturday before embarking on away trips to the Brumbies, the Cheetahs and the Sharks.

Questions had been asked about the Hurricanes' lack of tries prior to the Rebels match, but with a withering opening they matched their three-try total as halfback Chris Eaton, No 8 Victor Vito and first five-eighth Daniel Kirkpatrick all breached the Rebels' line.

But the question perhaps hidden by their attacking inadequacies was their defensive shortcomings, which were clinically exposed as the home team ran riot to score six unanswered tries in their second win of the season.

"If we don't do something it's going to be a difficult year but we can do it,"said Hammett, who is in his first year at the helm of the Hurricanes.

They now sit fourth in the New Zealand conference with one win from five matches and ninth overall.

The Chiefs, who lie fifth on the New Zealand table, face a similar battle to haul themselves into contention for the finals, but at least their showing in going down 16-13 to the Blues at a sodden Waikato Stadium last night gave coach Ian Foster hope that it may not be out of their grasp.

A staunch defensive effort in difficult conditions, especially a five-minute spell late in the first half when the Blues were camped deep inside their territory and held out despite repeated five metre scrums, was the stuff coaches cherish and now Foster must find a way to get the talent-laden backline firing.

The Blues were outscored two tries to one, but the difference proved to be the boot of Luke McAlister, who kicked 11 points.

The Chiefs face a tough trip to Sydney to face the Waratahs on Friday night, while the Blues, who sit atop of the New Zealand conference for now, host the Cheetahs in Whangarei on Saturday.

A win from the Crusaders against the Sharks at Twickenham in London on Monday morning (NZT) will see them overtake the Blues at the top of the New Zealand table.

The Stormers hold top spot on the tournament table after crushing the Western Force 51-16, scoring six tries in the process. They remain the only unbeaten team and are three points ahead of the Reds, who brought the Cheetahs back down to earth with a 41-8 win in Brisbane.

The Waratahs had replacement Sitaleki Timani to thank after they scored a try with the last play of the match to get them past the Brumbies 29-22, while the Bulls battled past the competitive Lions 30-23.

- NZPA