Super Rugby Pacific: Hurricanes look to extend remarkable winning streak against Queensland Reds in Wellington
Wednesday, 25 March 2026
What: Super Rugby Pacific round seven, Hurricanes v Reds. Where: Hnry Stadium, Wellington. When: 4.35pm Saturday, live on Sky Sport 1.
The last time the Hurricanes lost to the Queensland Reds in Wellington, Athletic Park was still in commission and rugby greats Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, John Eales and Tim Horan went toe to toe.
Two of the form sides in Super Rugby Pacific 2026 reconvene in the capital on Saturday for a welcome afternoon fixture, as it was 28 years ago when Eales booted the Reds to a 41-33 victory in a nine-try thriller at the Berhampore venue which was demolished a year later.
More recently the Hurricanes built a remarkable winning streak at all venues and will be chasing 11 straight victories over the men in maroon. The last four were across the Tasman, as the Reds hit Wellington for the first time since 2021 when a 20-year-old Ruben Love was among the tryscorers in a 43-14 home town win.
Love will wear No 10 for a second straight week as the Hurricanes field an even stronger lineup than their 50-7 demolition of the Highlanders in Dunedin.
Coach Clark Laidlaw named prop Tyrel Lomax who returns from an ankle injury and makes it eight All Blacks in the Hurricanes’ starting 15, also including co-captain Du’Plessis Kirifi who wears No 7 after coming off the bench in Dunedin.
Read More:
Meet rugby’s breath of fresh air set to empower the All Blacks
How Rennie’s All Blacks coaching concoction makes for a tasty blend
Peter Lakai shifts to No 8 with Brayden Iose on the bench, while out wide Callum Harkin is ruled out with concussion which sees Josh Moorby move to fullback and Bailyn Sullivan to the right wing.
According to Opta stats, the table-topping Canes lead the team categories for points (42.4 per game), tries (6.6 per game), carry metres, line breaks, offloads and turnovers won, with lock Warner Dearns leading that individual chart with nine in five games.
Co-captain Jordie Barrett has been hugely influential and has the equal-most try assists, with six, while flying left wing Fehi Fineanganofo is equal second on the tryscoring list with six, after his Dunedin hat-trick gave him 11 tries from his last 10 Super Rugby matches.
Charlie Cale of the Brumbies leads the season tryscoring with eight.
One note of caution for Hurricanes fans is that they haven’t yet played a team in the competition’s top six, after racking up 50 points against Moana Pasifika, the Waratahs and Highlanders, and suffered a narrow defeat to Fijian Drua in the wet.
The Reds, coached by Les Kiss who will succeed Joe Schmidt with the Wallabies later this year, have faced similar opponents.
After a 36-12 opening loss to the Waratahs they rattled off four straight wins over the Highlanders, Brumbies, Waratahs and Drua and now face their first New Zealand opponents of 2026.
They beat the Drua 21-6 in Fiji, without key men like skipper Fraser McReight, Wallabies playmaker Carter Gordon and the in-form Joe Brial.
At Hnry Stadium (formerly Sky Stadium) the Hurricanes have won 14 straight against Australian teams since 2015 when they lost to the Waratahs 29-24.
“To win in Fiji, as they (Reds) did last week, and to beat the Brumbies in Canberra is no mean feat, as we know,” Laidlaw said.
“They’re off to a really good start to their season, so we’re expecting our hardest game of the block. We had a tight game last year over in Brisbane, and we don’t expect it to be any different this week.”
Hurricanes: Josh Moorby, Bailyn Sullivan, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett (co-capt), Fehi Fineanganofo, Ruben Love, Cam Roigard, Peter Lakai, Du’Plessis Kirifi (co-capt), Devan Flanders, Warner Dearns, Caleb Delany, Tyrel Lomax, Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia. Reserves: Vernon Bason, Siale Lauaki, Pasilio Tosi, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Brayden Iose, Ereatara Enari, Lucas Cashmore, Jone Rova.