Rugby: Hurricanes too strong

Beauden Barrett led the Hurricanes to an important win over the Crusaders. Photo / Getty

Hurricanes 29
Crusaders 23

Few teams have an answer for the Hurricanes when their locks, loose forwards and props are handling the ball as part of sweeping moves across the field.

Coach Chris Boyd has uncorked their potential in 2015 and, while their defence helped them in the early stages of the season, their attacking game is catching up.

Every one of their four tries against the Crusaders last night were worthy of the highlights reel.

Players of all positions move at pace and are skilful enough to offload, beat tackles and play a part. It's difficult to stop.

They've won nine from 10 this season and look on track for their first trip to the playoffs since 2009.

The Crusaders came into the match desperately in need of a win as they looked to build some consistency into their stuttering campaign. Instead, this loss has severely dented their finals aspirations.

If you blinked you would have missed some action during the first half. There were three tries inside the opening 13 minutes as the Crusaders opened the scoring via second-five Dan Carter after pivot Colin Slade danced through some questionable defence.

Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree, who had back surgery during the week, made a surprise visit to training on Thursday to deliver the defensive sermon, crutches and all, and would have been most displeased with the way his side fell off 16 tackles in the opening spell.

But if their defence was poor, then the Hurricanes' attack was equally exciting as they scored a pair of thrilling tries.

Beauden Barrett's speed was on display again as he picked up a loose ball and scooted 80m to score and Brad Shields finished an entertaining move when the ball passed through multiple sets of hands.

The offload is a valuable tool on the rugby field and the Hurricanes showed great ability to promote the ball, which caught the Crusaders out.

While Slade had a hand in Carter's try, he then scored one himself in the 32nd minute as Hurricanes midfielder Ma'a Nonu did time in the sin bin for a professional foul.

One of the more gripping contests you will see this season didn't let up in the second stanza as both sides showed the intent to move the ball.

A try to Hurricanes prop Reggie Goodes meant the home side took a 24-23 advantage into the final quarter when conditioning and the impact of a team's bench comes to the fore.

The Hurricanes welcomed back Blade Thomson to Super Rugby after he had been away from the game for nearly two months following a head knock and the loose forward scored a crucial try from the bench in the 63rd minute. It also secured the bonus point.

Boyd's side didn't see a lot of the ball in the final 10 minutes but did enough to hold on during the dying stages.

The Crusaders host the Reds in Christchurch on Friday night and the Hurricanes meet the struggling Sharks in Wellington on Saturday. Fans might now be starting to believe.

Hurricanes 29 (Beauden Barrett, Brad Shields, Reggie Goodes, Blade Thomson tries; Barrett pen, 3 con)
Crusaders 23 (Dan Carter, Colin Slade tries; Slade 3 pen, 2 con)
HT: 17-17