Hurricanes 38-28 Waratahs: Barretts shine in Hurricanes win
Last Updated: 07/04/17 3:51pm
Brothers Beauden and Jordie Barrett combined for two tries, 18 points, two yellow cards and a red card as the Hurricanes held on to a diminishing lead to beat the Waratahs 38-28 on Friday.
The brothers scored tries in the first half and Jordie added four conversions as the Hurricanes opened a 33-7 half-time lead over a Waratahs side that looked listless and directionless.
But the Waratahs rallied to outscore the Hurricanes 21-5 in the second half as Beauden received a yellow card in each spell which translated into a red card in the 79th minute.
The Hurricanes made an explosive start, scoring tries through center Ngani Laumape and the Barretts to lead 21-0 after only 11 minutes. The Waratahs fuelled the Hurricanes' counter-attacking game with poor kicking and missed tackles, and the match seemed likely to become a rout.
But Beauden's yellow card for a professional foul in the 17th minute sparked the Waratahs to score through Ned Hanigan.
Tries to winger Wes Goosen and lock Mark Abbott then boosted the Hurricanes' lead to 33-7 at half-time as they controlled set-pieces and used long passes to pick gaps in the defence.
The Waratahs made a strong start to the second half with tries to full-back Bryce Hegarty and scrum-half Jake Gordon which slashed the margin to 33-21 after 47 minutes.
Laumape's second try made the lead 38-21 but the Waratahs continued to improve, and a try to Andrew Kellaway in the 70th minute cut the lead to 10 points. The Waratahs ended the match over the Hurricanes' line, denied a try which would have given them a bonus point.
Beauden earned his second yellow card, which became a red card, for a professional foul with just under two minutes to play, which could have yielded a penalty try.
"When we scored that many points in the first half we've got to come out after half-time and be a bit more clinical," Hurricanes captain TJ Perenara said.
Waratahs captain Michael Hooper regretted another poor start which his team was unable to overcome.
"Our fights can't be questioned this year," Hooper said. "We've won the last 40 minutes in most games, barring last week. But the first 20 is an issue for us and it's really frustrating."
