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We were due for a good one - Smith

2012-05-27 10:37:01

Hurricanes skipper Conrad Smith praised his side’s character following their emphatic 66-24 bonus-point demolition of the Rebels on Saturday

It was a record Super Rugby score for the Hurricanes, who bounced back from their 37-25 loss to the Brumbies last week with a nine-try blitz.

Julian Savea, who is tipped to make his All Blacks debut against Ireland next month, scored three tries while Andre Taylor and Alapati Leiua scored two each. Beauden Barrett converted them all and added a penalty for 21 points.

The Hurricanes now sit just outside the cut-off point for the play-offs in a cluster involving the Sharks, Highlanders and Reds in a battle for the vital sixth position.

“We were pretty disappointed with the way things went last week,” said Smith.

“We just wanted to come out and put a good performance together and you just had a feeling all week we were due for a good one.

“There’s a lot of nice talent coming through and it’s good to have a side with a lot of character that allows guys to play like that and look good,” added the All Blacks centre.