Dominant Super Rugby Victory
Hurricanes Dominate Chiefs 60-5, Secure Second Super Rugby Title with Record-Breaking Season
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The Wellington Hurricanes demolished the Waikato Chiefs 60-5 on Saturday night to claim their second Super Rugby title, a decade after their first. Playing at Sky Stadium in gale-force winds reaching 80km/h, the Hurricanes led 29-0 at halftime and never looked back, finishing with nine tries in a record-breaking final ABC News.
The win sealed a historic season. The Hurricanes scored 113 tries in 17 matches in 2026 — the first team in Super Rugby's 30-year history to top 100 tries in a single season Devdiscourse.
Hurricanes Turn Wellington Wind Into a Weapon
Head coach Clark Laidlaw made a bold call at kick-off: play into the wind in the first half. It paid off immediately. Fullback Josh Moorby scored the opening try off a set-piece move just 13 minutes in, exposing gaps in the Chiefs' defensive line. By halftime, the Hurricanes had four tries and a 29-0 lead Yahoo Sports.
With the wind at their backs in the second half, the Hurricanes were unstoppable. Moorby and first five-eight Ruben Love both scored doubles. Love told reporters: "In this wind, you either fight the elements or you use them. We chose to use them." The final score of 60-5 is the largest winning margin in Super Rugby final history Yahoo Sports UK.
113 Tries in a Season — A Record No One Saw Coming
No team in Super Rugby history — across 30 years and multiple competition formats — had ever scored 100 tries in a single season. The Hurricanes did not just clear that bar. They finished 2026 with 113 tries across 17 games, an average of 6.6 tries per match HNG News.
Analyst Justin Marshall called it the greatest attacking display in the sport's history. "We are looking at the greatest attacking machine in the history of club rugby," he said on Sky Sport. "The 60-5 scoreline in a Wellington gale is a mathematical impossibility that the Hurricanes just made a reality."
Chiefs Overwhelmed as Injuries and Breakdowns Pile Up
The Chiefs were not at full strength. They were missing three starting All Blacks in the tight five, which hurt them at the set piece — an area where the Hurricanes applied constant pressure. The Hurricanes held 68% possession and controlled 74% of territory in the second half Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan did not hide his feelings after the game. "We were beaten by a hurricane in every sense of the word," he said. "Their clinical execution in those conditions was something I haven't seen in 20 years of coaching." The Chiefs' only try came late and offered little consolation Winnipeg Free Press.
All Blacks Selectors Face a Hurricanes-Shaped Dilemma
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson watched the final from the stands. The first squad announcement of the 2026 season is now expected to be heavily influenced by the Hurricanes' dominant campaign. Reports suggest as many as 12 Hurricanes players could be named in the 32-man squad — a major shift from the traditional dominance of the Crusaders and Blues The Hour.
Off the field, the win is already generating big numbers. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce estimates the home final and celebrations will inject around $12.5 million into the local economy. Hurricanes jersey sponsorships are expected to rise in value by 30-40% heading into the 2027 season, driven by the global attention from the "100-try" record CA Yahoo Sports.
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