Hurricanes back on top of Super Rugby table after win in Brisbane
Last Updated: 26/04/15 3:26pm
The Hurricanes scored two tries in each half to claim a 35-19 bonus-point victory over the Reds at Suncorp Stadium.
Samu Kerevi stunned the Super Rugby leaders with a quick-fire brace as the Reds took an early 12-3 lead, but Beauden Barrett's boot slowly brought the Wellington-based side back into the game before the tries began to flow.
TJ Perenara touched down twice while Callum Gibbins and Julian Savea also crossed the whitewash for the Hurricanes. Liam Gill dotted down in the second half for the Reds but he also blotted his copy book by getting sent to the sin bin.
The Reds conceded a host of penalties in the opening stages and Barrett punished them by slotting an early penalty, which made him the all-time highest points scorer for the Hurricanes.
The first real time the Reds maintained their discipline and kept the ball it led to a try. After an impressive 11 phases, the Reds shifted it out wide to Kerevi, he left Savea for dead with a sumptuous sidestep to dart over.
James O'Connor missed the conversion but he nailed his second attempt soon after as Kerevi completed an almost carbon copy body-shift off his right foot and touched down at full stretch.
But instead of kicking on, the Reds fell back into bad habits and Barrett cut the deficit back to 12-6 with a penalty around the half-hour mark, before two tries in three minutes changed the complexion completely.
First Perenara crashed over in the corner, profiting from strong running from Conrad Smith and a superb offload of Ma'a Nonu, and then flanker Gibbins went over after the Hurricanes pack did well to regather the ball and go through the phases after a wayward pass from Savea. Barrett converted both to make it 20-12 at the interval.
Barrett nailed another penalty after the restart but the Reds hit back on 46 minutes through Gill, who evaded two tackles to go under the posts from close range.
But Gill went from hero to zero 11 minutes later by getting himself sent to the sin bin for deliberately staying in an offside position, while O'Connor's evening was called to an end due to a failed concussion test.
In Gill's absence, the Hurricanes wrapped up the victory as Savea brushed off two tackles to crash over in the corner, before Perenara exploited a gaping hole in the Reds' defence to complete his brace.
