Hurricanes edge Chiefs in Super Rugby thriller
Jordie Barrett's late penalty set up a dramatic 27-24 Super Rugby victory for the Wellington Hurricanes over the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday.
The New Zealand rivals scored three tries apiece but Barrett's kick in the 83rd minute proved decisive, stunning former Wales coach Warren Gatland's Chiefs.
It came after a marathon 36-phase effort from the Hurricanes in the game's final moments when the scores were locked 24-24.
"We're pretty disappointed, we thought we did enough to win," Chiefs skipper Sam Cane said.
Hurricanes captain Dane Coles said the Wellington team had been chasing a victory in Hamilton for a long time.
"We've been coming here since 2009 and it's my first win against the Chiefs here, which makes me bloody happy," he said.
The Hurricanes made the early running and were rewarded in the ninth minute when Ben Lam crossed after a free-flowing backline move in which the ball passed through five pairs of hands.
Flanker Lachlan Boshier muscled his way over the line for the Chiefs but Hurricanes fly-half Fletcher Smith found a defensive gap to put the visitors ahead 10-14 at half-time.
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Both sides came close after the restart but it was Chiefs centre Tumua Manu who broke through before Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara was sin-binned for a high tackle.
Shaun Stevenson added another for the hosts, lifting their lead to 24-14.
A penalty and an Asafo Aumua try from a lineout drive levelled the scores at 24-24, setting up the blockbuster finale which Barrett decided with his late kick.