Hurricanes breeze past Cheetahs
Wellington continued their Super 14 campaign with a comfortable 29-12 bonus point win over the Cheetahs on Saturday.
Last Updated: 09/03/09 10:00am
Wellington continued their Super 14 campaign with a 29-12 bonus point victory over the Cheetahs on Saturday.
The result was rarely in doubt following Tamati Ellison's try on the stroke of half-time and scores either side of the break by All Blacks winger Hosea Gear.
The home side dominated for most of the match although they left much to be desired in the line-out, losing a staggering 11 of their own throws.
The Cheetahs, many of whom were playing their first tour match, acquitted themselves well enough but ill-discipline in attack meant that they never really threatened the hosts.
A penalty from Piri Weepu gave the Hurricanes an 18th-minute lead having missed one shortly beforehand.
It took another seven minutes for the hosts to break through, Gear profiting from the space created by Conrad Smith's inside running line.
Exquisite
Weepu's conversion gave his side a 10-0 cushion but scrum-half Sarel Pretorius pounced to halve the deficit after the Cheetahs successfuly disrupted a line-out.
But just before the break Ma'a Nonu delivered an exquisite pass to Tamati Ellison, who accelerated through a huge gap for the score.
Weepu added the extras to take the hosts into half-time with a 17-5 lead.
The Cheetahs started the second period with a bang, a terrific short side passing movement ending in a burst of pace and a try for flanker Wayne van Heerden.
Jacques-Louis Potgieter's conversion cut the deficit back to five points with the scores at 17-12.
But as the visitors upped their pace in search of an equalising score, Gear picked up a turnover ball and raced home from 80 metres to score his second to give the Hurricanes a 10-point lead at 22-12.
Wellington sealed the bonus point with 15 minutes to go, John Schwalger burrowing over from five metres to take the game away from the visitors.
