For the Love of Wellington: Hurricanes star says let’s win it for the struggling capital

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Ruben Love and Asafo Aumua celebrate another try on the Hurricanes’ match to the Super Rugby Pacific final.

When the Hurricanes last won a Super Rugby title, a 15-year-old Ruben Love cheered them on with some mates from his parents’ home in Palmerston North.

A decade on from that 20-3 final victory against South Africa’s Lions in 2016, Love will be centre of attention on Saturday to try and steer the high-flying Hurricanes to a second title - this time against the Chiefs at Wellington’s Hnry Stadium.

Tickets were snapped up in as little as seven minutes on Tuesday morning, after the club’s plea to “Fill the Tin”. Not since then-captain Dane Coles hoisted the trophy have the Hurricanes packed out their 34,500-capacity home ground, and crowds averaged just 14,000 during their table-topping regular season.

Love was well aware of the boost victory would provide to home fans in a tough economic climate.

“It’s huge for the whole region. The way I frame it in my head is: living in Wellington is pretty tough. I don’t want to get political but people have been laid off jobs … friends that I’ve had have moved (to Australia) because they lost their jobs,” Love said.

“Hopefully it’s a good time watching us and we can make everyone proud who has stuck by us all season.”

The buzz was palpable on the streets of Wellington on Friday.

David Elmes, a long-time Hurricanes supporter, flew in from Sydney to attend the game. Amusingly, the Chiefs squad was on his connecting flight from Auckland.

“I was in the Air New Zealand lounge … and I'm the only guy wearing anything Hurricanes. And there are Chiefs.”

April Cotton, who works at RYOS, a sports clothing store on Lambton Quay, said business had been “booming”, with sales three times their usual level - mostly Hurricanes and Chiefs apparel.

A Hurricanes fan herself, Cotton was “a little bit nervous [about the game] because it's against the Chiefs, but I’m excited”.

Hurricanes fan Michael Elmazey believed home-field advantage would be a bonus.

“If you're from Windy Wellington and you have a windy night, surely that's got to benefit Wellington, right?”

Those fans are best advised to bring a raincoat. MetService predicts strong northwesterlies and steady rain on Saturday afternoon and evening, with a temperature of 15C forecast for kickoff. In tough conditions, Love’s duel with All Blacks No 10 rival Damian McKenzie will be a highlight, and potentially match-deciding.

Hnry Stadum will be jam packed when co-captains Jordie Barrett and Du’Plessis Kirifi lead the Hurricanes out against the Chiefs.

Both sides were impressive in the semifinals: the Chiefs swatting aside the Crusaders 49-12 then the Hurricanes overpowering the Blues 57-21 before 24,000 at the Cake Tin. The Hurricanes made history as the first side to crack the 100-try barrier in a season, with Fehi Finenganofo (a record-equalling 16) and Josh Moorby (15) top-two on the individual list.

Each team has a significant hoodoo to overcome. The Hurricanes have lost seven playoff games since that 2016 title, four of them semifinals, including a 30-19 stumble against the Chiefs at home in 2024 in the first season under popular coach Clark Laidlaw.

The Chiefs, under first-season coach Jonno Gibbes, last won a title in 2013 and are playing their fourth straight final, having lost to the Crusaders (2023), Blues (2024) and Crusaders (2025) in the last three deciders.

The TAB rates the Hurricanes hot favourites at $1.37 to win, with the Chiefs paying $3.

– Additional reporting by Abbi Maidment and Liadhan Robinson.