Brett Cameron injury mars Hurricanes’ emphatic first-up win
Friday, 20 February 2026
At Sky Stadium, Wellington: Hurricanes 52 (Fehi Fineanganofo 11’, 25’ Josh Moorby 17’, 29’, 43’, Brayden Iose 62’, 74’, Billy Proctor 78’ tries; Brett Cameron, Jordie Barrett 5 con) Moana Pasifika 10 (Tuna Tuitama 7’, Patrick Pellegrini 67’ tries). HT: 24-5.
The Hurricanes are facing a first five-eighth crisis after Brett Cameron was stretchered off with a serious knee injury in their Super Rugby Pacific opener.
The injury dampened an otherwise emphatic 52-10 win over Moana Pasifika, with wingers Josh Moorby and Fehi Fineanganofo combining for five of eight tries in a statement start to the season.
Moorby marked his return with a hat-trick inside 43 minutes, while Fineanganofo bagged two of his own.
Moana arrived in Wellington buoyed by a 40-26 win against Fijian Drua, but this was a harsh reality check.
Cameron, 29, started at No 10 at Sky Stadium after Ruben Love was ruled out with a training injury expected to sideline the All Blacks playmaker for four to six weeks.
He injured his right knee attempting to tackle powerful Moana midfielder Faletoi Peni off a scrum in the 23rd minute.
Cameron tried to play on but was unable to put weight on it, and the severity quickly became apparent.
Play was stopped for several minutes before he was carried from the field – a cruel blow for a first five who missed most of last season with a ruptured ACL.
Coach Clark Laidlaw confirmed after the game that the injury was on the opposite leg to his previous ACL and said Cameron was on his way to hospital for scans.
With no specialist No 10 on the bench, fullback Callum Harkin shifted into first five when Cameron was replaced by Billy Proctor midway through the first half.
The Hurricanes had already lost Harry Godfrey to season-ending knee injury.
“It didn’t look good. I’m not fully sure [what he’s done] but it’s definitely his knee and not the knee he’s done his ACL [previously],” Laidlaw said.
“It’s really disappointing, if it’s as bad as it looked. He worked so bloody hard last year to do a five-and-a-half month ACL return. He’s in great condition, he’s had an awesome pre-season and he’s been leading the team really well.
“It’s a hammer blow to him and it will take a bit of sinking in. We’ll have to get around him if it’s serious.”
The Hurricanes were tightening their grip when the injury occurred.
Fineanganofo opened their account from a sweeping scrum move, finishing in the corner after Cameron’s final pass. Tuna Tuitama had stunned the hosts earlier, chipping over Harkin inside five minutes to give Moana the lead.
After a jittery start – including two early lineout fumbles from debutant lock Warner Dearns – the Hurricanes clicked and led 24-5 after half an hour.
Fineanganofo could have had a first-half hat-trick but unselfishly fed Moorby on the line in the 29th minute. He may regret it; Moorby struck again early in the second half, racing under the posts after a midfield break from Bailyn Sullivan.
No 8 Brayden Iose added two late tries. The first came from a simple overlap after the Hurricanes stretched Moana’s defence while replacement William Havili was receiving treatment for a neck injury following an awkward collision.
Iose’s second was the pick of them, sprinting onto a Dearns offload and surging 45 metres to score.
Proctor capped the night with a try on fulltime, sending the Hurricanes to the top of the table after one game – though it came at a significant cost.
Hurricanes captain Jordie Barrett said he felt for his team-mate.
“It’s a sick feeling when you see a mate of yours go down and the green whistle [comes out],” Barrett said.
“It’s a gutting blow for him with the injury history he’s had. He’s very important to our squad and you saw the difference he made at the back end of last year when he came back.
“With Ruben out, we need our 10s.”
What’s next
The Hurricanes are off to Lautoka to play the Fijian Drua at their Churchill Park fortress next Saturday but will be buoyed by Moana Pasifika’s win recent there. The 40-26 upset snapped the Drua’s nine-game winning streak at the venue. Tana Umaga’s side host the Western Force in their first home game of the season in Pukekohe next Friday.