The Highlanders might have felt they were trending vaguely in the right direction this season but they had any optimism wiped out by the rampant Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin tonight.
Super Rugby’s table-toppers showed no mercy as they romped to a 10th straight win over the helpless Highlanders.
The Hurricanes led 19-7 at halftime, found worrying amounts of space, made a mess of the Highlanders’ confidence-bereft lineout, and ran away with the game with ease, winning 50-7.
Winger Fehi Fineanganofo helped himself to a hat-trick and irrepressible halfback Cam Roigard nabbed a brace in the eight-tries-to-one destruction.
It was the Highlanders’ heaviest defeat since their 70-26 thrashing by the Brumbies 30 years ago.
Good teams are finding these Hurricanes hard to stop.
The Highlanders hardly need to panic, but this was a good gauge of where they are at, and the reality is they are a fair way off the pace.
They have scored just one try in 133 minutes of rugby, too.
Reesjan Pasitoa belted a ginormous goal-line drop-out that was dropped cold by Brayden Iose.
After a Caleb Tangitau burst and a quick recycle, Highlanders fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens stepped one defender and out-paced two more for his second try of the season.
That generated cheers around the stadium that quickly turned to groans when the Highlanders – yes, you guessed it – lost their first lineout and watched their lead disappear.
Roigard gave the Hurricanes a boost by doing Roigard things.
He scored the visitors’ opening try from a classic dart from a ruck, and nabbed a double from a classic dart from a quick tap after a scrum penalty.
Both sides made some schoolboy era for large chunks of the first half.
The Highlanders thought they had clawed back a try when Jonah Lowe squeezed through the defence, but the man upstairs spotted a small Folau Fakatava knock-on just before it.
Under advantage, Hurricanes first five Ruben Love send over an ugly but effective cross kick that was pouched by Fineanganofo, who bullied past Tangitau to score.
There was just time in the first half for two shocking Highlanders lineout throws that went straight to a man in yellow.
Quick tip: it should have gone to a chap in blue.
At least the crowd’s spirits picked up during the break when the likely lads from the Selwyn Ballet made their first appearance at a Highlanders game in years.
They fell again when that man-menace Dearns opened the second half by stealing yet another lineout.
They plummeted when, from a scrum well inside their own half, the Hurricanes ran and passed, and ran and passed, and flanker Devan Flanders scored a try.
That made it 26-7 with 30 minutes to play, which might have suggested game over had the Hurricanes not immediately lost prop Xavier Numia to a yellow card for a scrum transgression.
Fineanganofo scored his second try, and when Bailyn Sullivan came off the bench to stroll in for the Hurricanes’ sixth, it was 38-7 and nearing ugly territory.
That was certainly the case for referee Angus Gardner, who went down and stayed down for a while after a collision with Highlanders No 8 Hugh Renton, who is not a small man.
Fineanganofo grabbed his third try and some fans were already leaving by the time Peter Lakai added one final try and Love cruelly brought up 50 points with a sideline conversion.
The Highlanders simply must win when they head north next Friday to play struggling Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium.
The Hurricanes Hunters beat the Highlanders Bravehearts 38-27 in the curtain-raiser.
Super Rugby
The scores
Hurricanes 50
Fehi Fineanganofo 3, Cam Roigard 2, Devan Flanders, Bailyn Sullivan, Peter Lakai tries; Ruben Love 5 con
Highlanders 7
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens try; Reesjan Pasitoa con
Halftime: Hurricanes 19-7.
