3. Pasilio Tosi – 7
Much like his propping partner, Tosi cleaned out the ruck with intent and anchored a strong Hurricanes scrum. He was defensively sound and won a turnover for his side. Left the field alongside Numia after 48 minutes.
4. Caleb Delany – 8
Forming a formidable engine room with Warner Dearns, Delany had some beautiful touches including a deceptive short ball to set up Dearns that was far too smooth to be the first time he’d attempted it. Rewarded for his support play with the game’s opening try and was physical through his 48 minutes on the park.
5. Warner Dearns – 10
Knows his size and how to use it. Perhaps the recruit of the season, Dearns throws his body into contact, be it at the ruck or with his carries, and was rewarded with a double on this occasion. He was also a dependable target at the lineout and got up to disrupt that of the Brumbies in a massive 80-minute shift.
6. Brad Shields – 8
Now more than 140 games into his Hurricanes career, the former England international just keeps going. Shields was a real bruiser in this contest as he seemingly hit every ruck he could get his body to, and even had a rare chance to kick with a quality clearance late in the contest.
7. Du’Plessis Kirifi – 7
Only played 45 minutes but did plenty work in his time on the park as he got stuck into the contact areas and had some impressive carries – at one point running over the top of Brumbies halfback Ryan Lonergan, though conceding a turnover immediately after for not releasing the ball.
8. Peter Lakai – 9
A huge 80-minute shift from the man at the back of the scrum, with dominant carries, a heap of tackles and securing a turnover. Made a big impact in a big performance.
9. Cam Roigard – 10
Kept his side playing at a high tempo and read the game superbly. Shot through gaps to score a double in the first half, kicked well and his delivery from the ruck kept things rolling. You wouldn’t know that he has only recently returned from a calf injury the way he’s going.
10. Ruben Love – 10
Fans and pundits have been beating the drums for Love to get more opportunity in the All Blacks this year and this sort of performance is why. Everything you could want out of your playmaker in a playoff game. Love orchestrated the attack superbly, making smart decisions around when to run and when to get the ball moving, while his kicking game was strong and he was a perfect 10/10 off the tee (nine conversions, one penalty) in windy conditions. The drums beat louder.
11. Kini Naholo – 7
He’s had games where he has been more involved, but he made a big impact when he was able to get into the game. His assist for Billy Proctor’s try showed a great feel for the game. He didn’t panic as he was being tackled near the sideline and only got the ball away after freeing Proctor up with a dummy.
12. Jordie Barrett – 9
At halftime, a colleague mentioned Barrett must have been playing with spiders on him because none of the Brumbies wanted to get near him. The All Blacks incumbent got heavily involved across the park and led the team’s tackle count.
13. Billy Proctor – 9
Playing in the sort of form that earned him an All Blacks call-up last year, Proctor ran the ball well with double-digit carries but didn’t overplay his hand. Broke the line then assisted on the opening try of the game before scoring one of his own. While he missed a couple of tackles, he won a couple of turnovers.
14. Josh Moorby – 6
On a night where his side were rampant, the Hurricanes right wing had a relatively quiet night. He often found himself on the outside calling for the ball when the ball-runner opted to go inside. Had a spectacular moment collecting a restart and beating a bunch of defenders as he was allowed to run, but it was just one of those nights where the ball didn’t make it out to the wing much.
15. Callum Harkin – 7
Good positional play early to clean up some high-pressure situations and made good decisions with ball in hand. Harkin has been a dependable asset for Clark Laidlaw’s side in every position he’s been asked to play.
Bench
16. Raymond Tuputupu – 6
A solid showing after replacing Aumua for much of the second half though was guilty of giving away a couple of penalties. Another forward who made a smooth pass to set a teammate up with an easy try.
17. Pouri Rakete-Stones – 6
Was solid off the bench in his defensive work with plenty of tackles and made an impact at the breakdown.
18. Tyrel Lomax – 7
Made his presence felt at the ruck and was active defensively. He continues to build in the right direction after missing most of the regular season with injury.
19. Isaia Walker-Leawere – 5
Made his tackles and put pressure on the opposition halfback’s box kick attempts.
20. Brayden Iose – 5
Entered the contest early in the second half but was pretty well contained.
21. Ere Enari – 5
Had some good moments but also turned the ball over several times.
22. Jone Rova – 5
Had limited impact in a 10-minute cameo.
23. Ngane Punivai – 10
Did well to score a hat-trick that showcased a lot of what he brings to the team. Showed speed to score a clean-up breakaway try, aerial ability to score over the top of Corey Toole’s cover defence, and line running to hit a gap from a Tuputupu pass. The Hurricanes couldn’t have asked for more from him.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
