Wellington Hurricanes flyhalf Aaron Cruden ensured his side’s Super 14 slim play-off hopes remained alive with a 33-31 victory over the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.
Cruden scored a try and slotted three conversions while he had a hand in three more of the visitors’ five tries — four of which were scored in the first half.
“He is growing all the time and I think the coaches have blooded him pretty well,” Hurricanes captain Andrew Hore said in a televised interview. “They didn’t chuck him in there straight away and he’s coming along good.
“He will only get better and will be good for us in the years to come and it’s good to have a quality 10.”
Like other matches in New Zealand and Australia this weekend, Sunday’s 95th anniversary of the World War I landings of ANZAC troops at Gallipoli was commemorated, with both sides standing silently while the Ode of Remembrance was read and the Last Post played before kick-off.
Both teams were prepared to attack at every opportunity with Cruden, widely seen as the successor for Daniel Carter’s role as the All Blacks’ backline general, in commanding form.
Cruden tested the Highlanders’ defensive line at every opportunity with two of his first half surges leading to tries for openside flanker Karl Lowe and lock Michael Paterson.
Scrumhalf Tyson Keats also scored a try before Cruden sauntered over for his team’s bonus point inside the first half after fullback Cory Jane, who was launching counter attack after counter attack from deep in his own territory, set him up.
Sweeping movements
The Highlanders, however, were also in an attacking mood, with captain Jimmy Cowan, flanker Alando Soakai and winger Ben Smith all scoring after sweeping movements to ensure the Hurricanes never got more than nine points ahead.
The home side, playing their last game of the 2010 season at Carisbrook, reduced the margin to 26-24 when tank-like Highlanders hooker Jason Rutledge barrelled over from in close just before halftime.
Cruden’s goalkicking radar, which had provided three conversions in the swirling first half wind, went astray in the second spell, and he missed two eminently kickable penalties.
The match then deteriorated with handling errors ending any flow or momentum before Cruden challenged the Highlanders line from an attacking scrum with 10 minutes remaining and his short pass put a rampaging Ma’a Nonu through under the posts.
The Highlanders hammered away at the Hurricanes for the final five minutes, but the visitors’ defensive wall held until replacement Otago prop Bronson Murray flopped over under the posts almost two minutes after the hooter sounded.
The victory moved the Hurricanes up to sixth in the standings on 27 points. – Reuters