Ruben Love scores a try during the Reds v Hurricanes, Super Rugby Pacific match, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Photo: Patrick Hoelscher/ActionPress
The Hurricanes have hung on in a pulsating 31-27 win over the Reds in Brisbane, moving them into the top four of a now very congested Super Rugby Pacific table. Wing Fine Fineanganofo's two tries were the difference between the two sides, with his winner in the 66th minute coming off a flowing move and finished with an acrobatic dive in the corner.
That set up a tense last 15 minutes, with the Hurricanes unable to secure a valuable bonus point despite ending the game hot on attack.
Aside from the win, All Black hopefuls Billy Proctor and Du'Plessis Kirifi again had very strong games. A now trademark Kirifi turnover snuffed out the Reds' last chance to attack, capping off a fine game on defence, while Proctor was involved in everything the Hurricanes constructed on attack.
It only took two minutes for Ruben Love to open the scoring, picking up a kind bounce from a Callum Harkin kick. Tate McDermott answered back almost immediately for the Reds, darting over from a ruck. After Tom Lynagh kicked the Reds' first penalty of the season, after an astounding 15 rounds, the Hurricanes went on a three try run starting with Fineanganofo's first.
Cam Roigard collected his own kick to dive over shortly after, before Proctor was well rewarded with a try just before halftime.
McDermott got his second straight after the break, before big blindside flanker Joe Brial busted through some poor Hurricanes defence to hand the lead back to the Reds. The game felt like the scoring would continue right up until the final whistle, but after Fineanganofo's second, defence set in as the Hurricanes did a very clinical job of hanging onto the ball.
The result swaps the teams around on the table, which will be a hard circumstance for a Reds side that would have been eyeing up a top of the table finish not that long ago. They now host the Drua next weekend and will hope the Hurricanes slip up against Moana Pasifika in Wellington.
Read how the game unfolded:
