Disbelief, doubt, ‘but we deserved that’: Hurricanes revel in record Super Rugby final success

Sunday, 21 June 2026

Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw said he “wouldn’t have dreamt” of winning the Super Rugby Pacific final with 60 points.

The Hurricanes hammered the Chiefs 60-5 in Wellington on Saturday night to win their first title after the previous success 2016.

It was a record-winning margin in any Super Rugby final and was the Chiefs’ fourth consecutive defeat in the decider.

Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw dared not dream his side would annihilate the Chiefs by 60 in Saturday night’s Super Rugby Pacific final in Wellington.

But that’s what happened.

There was a tangible sense of disbelief as the Hurricanes, contesting their first final in a decade, were running riot with the most stupendous attacking game that made fools of the hapless Chiefs in a sensational 60-5 victory in the windy capital.

As the Chiefs’ ridiculous pain of another final defeat — their fourth in a row and fifth in six seasons — was stewing after No 10 Damian McKenzie’s nightmare performance, it was his opposite number, Ruben Love, and the Hurricanes taking all the plaudits.

This was their night in a record-winning margin for a final in Super Rugby history, with the ultimate prize of a second title after their previous championship in 2016. Nobody, however, would have envisaged a rout like that. It was considered a tough one to call.

“We wouldn’t have dreamt of being able to win a final by 60,” Laidlaw said.

“Sometimes, rugby’s a funny game. It felt like everything went our way in the first half.”

And some. The onslaught got worse for the Chiefs after half-time, too. The Hurricanes finished with nine tries as both wingers, Josh Moorby and Fehi Fineanganofo, passed the record individual tally for tries scored in a season, level on 17.

Still, none were as celebrated as Love’s second in the 67th minute. His magnificent acrobatics and touchdown in the right corner slammed another nail into the Chiefs’ coffin and crowned the 25-year-old’s greatest performance on Super Rugby’s biggest stage.

Love even hoofed a long-range penalty goal, despite his reservations in the swirling breeze, with remarkable ease. His feet and handling were golden.

McKenzie, on the other hand, had a shocking night and struggled to handle the wild winds of Wellington with inaccurate kicks and passes sailing everywhere. The Cane train rumbled forward and was ruthless, forceful and relentless.

The deficit 29-0, the Chiefs blew back after half-time but capitulated once departing loose forward Devan Flanders scampered away to resume the hosts’ blizzard of tries.

“If you would have said we would win like that, we would probably have doubted you,” Laidlaw said.

They have been the competition’s great entertainers with more tries and more points than ever, complemented with a pack led by imposing lock Warner Dearns that has driven opponents into the dirt.

Another indomitable figure has been loose forward Du’Plessis Kirifi, who said the Hurricanes have always been renowned for scoring tries.

“We’ve shown we can win games with our shoulders, which is extremely pleasing,” he said.

“Defence is not just a strength, it’s a weapon.”

Kirifi was less sure about where this Hurricanes team sits in the annals of Super Rugby’s great sides.

“It’s not really for us to decide. We’re definitely the best team in the comp this year,” he added.

That point was significant. The Hurricanes have finished first before and not won the trophy. In fact, the last four winners of Super Rugby Pacific became champions from second in the table.

In 2024, it was the Chiefs who knocked them out in a Wellington semifinal. There have been no mistakes in 2026. Qualifying final: beat Brumbies 66-21. Semifinal: beat Blues 57-21.

The best was still to come. The biggest victory in any Super Rugby final, bettering the Bulls’ 61-17 hammering of the unfortunate Chiefs in Pretoria in 2009. They scored an astonishing 183 points in the playoffs, belying the classical, tight nature of the playoffs.

“To play your best rugby when it really matters, it shows the belief the men have got,” Laidlaw said.

The Scot was sat with Kirifi and Jordie Barrett, their co-captains. He said they had a vision they want to share in a challenging time for the game domestically.

Super Rugby has issues. Financial uncertainty, poor crowd figures and a shortage of jeopardy and unpredictability, two vital ingredients for a thriving competition, through the year have been profound again. Only five teams have made the semifinals since 2022.

The Hurricanes still struggle to attract large numbers to Hnry Stadium, even though a sellout of more than 34,000 was there for Saturday night’s party. If Laidlaw’s men can’t get a crowd, who can?

“We want to unite and excite our fans. We want people to come and watch us play,” he said.

“We want people around the world to watch us on TV around how we want to try and play the game. These fellas have delivered a performance tonight that truly united and excited our fans.”

Barrett added: “We’ve been unbelievably coached around backing what we’ve got, but that’s been coached since November to give ourselves confidence on a night like this.”

For Hurricanes such as Barrett and Kirifi, two centurions who could celebrate their first Super Rugby title, this was special after constant disappointment in the last decade and three unhappy endings in Canberra against the Brumbies since 2022.

“It’s unbelievable,” Barrett said.

“It’s been one of the slowest weeks of my rugby career. I knew this group had that sort of game in them, but it was a matter of bringing it in.

“We got a bit of luck tonight, but we also put ourselves in a position to earn the right.”

How modest. There isn’t much luck in winning a final by 55 points against a quality team Chiefs team coached by Jono Gibbes. Their title drought will run into a 14th year.

Kirifi had the final word for the Hurricanes.

“Just stoked,” he said.

“We did it. Jordie said it’s taken us over 100 games to achieve. It definitely feels that way.

“That was a hard-earned championship. Not just this season, but for a few seasons.

“But we deserve that one after the way we’ve gone about our work over the last couple of years. Just proud, proud as.”