 | |||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The 'Canes | ||
| Founded | 1996; 29 years ago (1996) | ||
| Location | Wellington, New Zealand | ||
| Region | Hawke's Bay Horowhenua Kapiti Manawatū Poverty Bay Wairarapa-Bush Whanganui Wellington | ||
| Ground(s) | Sky Stadium (Capacity: 34,500) | ||
| Coach(es) | Clark Laidlaw | ||
| Captain(s) | Asafo Aumua Du'Plessis Kirifi Billy Proctor Brad Shields | ||
| Mostcaps | TJ Perenara (155) | ||
| Top scorer | Beauden Barrett (1238) | ||
| League(s) | Super Rugby Pacific | ||
| 2024 | Semi-finalist 1st overall | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
TheHurricanes (/ˈhʌrɪkeɪnz/HURR-ik-aynz;[1]Māori:Hau Āwhiowhio;[2] formerly theWellington Hurricanes) is a New Zealand professional men'srugby union team based inWellington that competes inSuper Rugby. The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lowerNorth Island, including theEast Coast,Hawke's Bay,Horowhenua Kapiti,Manawatū,Poverty Bay,Taranaki,Wairarapa-Bush,Wanganui andWellington unions. They currently play atSky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium), having previously played at the now-defunctAthletic Park.[3]
The Hurricanes had a poor first season in 1996's Super 12, but rebounded in 1997 with a third placing. The team did not reach the play-offs for another five years as they struggled in the bottom four of the table. Since 2003 the Hurricanes have made the post-season play-offs seven times out of fourteen seasons, including the 2006 final, which they lost in foggy weather against theCrusaders 19–12. After hosting but failing to win the final in 2015, the 2016 season was the Hurricanes' best season to date. They won the final 20–3 against theLions, after again finishing the regular season first and hosting the final.
The Hurricanes were formed in 1996 as one of five New Zealand Super 12 teams, and were originally called the Wellington Hurricanes. The team's first coach was formerAll BlackFrank Oliver, whileBull Allen was named as captain.Their first match, played atPalmerston North Showgrounds against theAuckland Blues, was the first ever Super 12 match. They lost it 36–28. The team performed below expectations in the inaugural year of the competition and finished ninth. In 1997 the team made the semi-finals, losing inCanberra to theACT Brumbies. However the consistent form shown during this season would not be seen again for many years.
Following their 1997 season, the Hurricanes failed to qualify for the semi-finals until 2003. Despite this, they were still known for the attacking nature of their backline that included theAll Blacks starsTana Umaga andChristian Cullen. The team played with flair and could score at any moment, whatever their position on the field, giving rise to the teams catch cry of 'expect the unexpected'. However the team struggled for consistent performances and at crunch time in matches, leading to patchy form and results.
After the1999 World Cup,Jonah Lomu's contract with theNZRU expired he was linked to many clubs around the world, inrugby league as well as union and also theNFL'sDallas Cowboys.[4] On 23 November 1999 it was announced that the winger had re-signed with the NZRU and agreed terms with theWellington Rugby Union, despite a reported £1.1 million offer byBristol.[4][5] The move to the Wellington union meant he could be included in the protected group of players for the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes also opened 2000 with anew stadium. The highlights of that year included the victory over eventual champions theCrusaders, 41–29, in front of a packed house. At the end of the season the 'Canes still had a mathematical chance of making the semis and only had to beat theBulls to stay in contention. However, the Hurricanes played one of their worst games of the year, losing the match to one of the worst performing teams at that point in the competition's history and lost the possibility of qualifying for the semi-finals. The team finished eighth on the table.
Despite theWellington Lions (whom most of the Hurricanes squad were chosen from) winning the 2000NPC,[6] the Hurricanes finished ninth in the final standings in 2001; one worse than the year before. Another ninth placing in 2002 resulted inGraham Mourie, who had led the team since 2000, resigning.[7]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: Information from 2006 onward. You can help byadding to it.(September 2011) |
In spite of reports thatColin Cooper, the thenCrusaders assistant-coach, had said he was "not yet ready to jump ship" and wanted to stay with theSouth Island franchise,[8] the Hurricanes were able to lure him away from the champions and made him their head coach for the 2003 season.
Cooper, along with newly appointed captainTana Umaga, helped to mould the inconsistent and ill-disciplined Hurricanes into one of the top teams in the competition.[9] 2003 was the beginning of a new era for the Hurricanes as they reached the semi-finals for just the second time in their history on the back of a strong seven-game winning streak mid-season. Their success came partly with the break-out year for mid-fielderMa'a Nonu, his strong performances and partnership with captainTana Umaga pushed out formerAll BlackPita Alatini and saw him score six tries en route to theAll Black squad. The team also benefited from the steady hand ofDavid Holwell at first five-eighth and an improving and mobile forward pack.Hurricanes stalwartChristian Cullen would leave New Zealand shores for Irish clubMunster after his omission from the All Blacks2003 World Cup squad, despite scoring eight tries during the season.
All Black greatJonah Lomu was left out of the 2004 squad, due to a life-threatening illness that would eventually result in akidney transplant. He would never again play for the Hurricanes.
The majority of the team was retained for 2005.[10] including new centreConrad Smith.[11] The Hurricanes came back in 2005 to the form that saw them make the playoffs two years prior. Former New Zealand ColtFlyhalfJimmy Gopperth was the real "find" of the season, scoring 139 points, which helped offset the departure ofDavid Holwell to Ireland. The Hurricanes had tried to sign Australian playmakerBrock James, who had starred the previousNPC season for Taranaki[12] and theBlues, and young starLuke McAlister indicated that he would like to play in Wellington.[13] With bothDaniel Carter andAaron Mauger at the Crusaders capable of playing first five-eighth the team also made an attempt to lureAndrew Mehrtens to Wellington, without success.
In 2006 two new teams entered the competition, the Bloemfontein-basedCheetahs from South Africa and the Perth-basedWestern Force from Australia, creating the Super 14.Rodney So'oialo was appointed captain of the Hurricanes to succeed formerAll Black captainTana Umaga.[14] The team won all but four matches. They made their first Super Rugby final but lost to theCrusaders in a match played under thick fog. Following the match there was an incident in a nightclub involvingChris Masoe andTana Umaga. The club finances benefitted from on-pitch success, with NZ$1.36 million profit on its 2006 turnover of NZ$7.44 million.
The Hurricanes returned to the semi-finals in both 2008 and 2009, however were unable to capture the same success in subsequent seasons.[15] 2011 saw the arrival ofMark Hammett as coach and the departure ofAndrew Hore,Ma'a Nonu andPiri Weepu.
The Hurricanes finished 11th in the2013 Super Rugby season.
2015 saw the Hurricanes finish first in the regular season, topping the table with 66 points and a win–loss record of 14–2 in round robin play. The Hurricanes picked up the New Zealand Conference trophy after beating the Highlanders. After beating the Brumbies in the semi-final, the Hurricanes lost the final against theHighlanders 21–14. It was the final Super Rugby match for Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu and Jeremy Thrush – all Hurricanes that have played over 100 caps.
On 8 December 2015, Rugby World Cup-winning hookerDane Coles was named captain for the 2016 season. Rugby World Cup-winning halfbackTJ Perenara was named as vice-captain.[16]
2016 was a big year for the Hurricanes finishing first overall on the points table, despite sitting in 7th going into the final round of the regular season. This saw them go into the quarter-finals against theSharks winning 41–0 atWellington Regional Stadium. They carried on to the semi-finals playing theChiefs and winning 25–9 atWellington Regional Stadium. The Hurricanes played theLions in the final, winning the game 20–3 atWellington Regional Stadium. This was the first time inSuper Rugby history that the Hurricanes won the title. It wasVictor Vito's final and 100th game for the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes looked to win another championship title in 2017, taking out 12 of 15 games and making it to the quarter-finals against the Brumbies, which the Hurricanes won 16-35. However, in the semi-finals they were defeated by the Lions, who they defeated in the 2016 final.
In 2018, the Hurricanes won 11 of 16 round robin matches, which put them into the quarter-finals against a very tough Chiefs side. The Hurricanes narrowly defeated the Chiefs 32-31. But once again, the Hurricanes failed to make it past the semi-finals, losing to the Crusaders 30-12.
2019 saw the Hurricanes win 12, draw 1 and lose 3. This result took them to the quarter-finals and they faced the Bulls, which was tight but the Hurricanes won 35-28. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes lost to the Crusaders again in a tight battle in Christchurch (30-26).
After 7 rounds of 2020, the Hurricanes finished 3rd in the NZ conference and 6th overall. The competition was suspended after 7 rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a domestic Super Rugby competition was formed in New Zealand called Super Rugby Aotearoa, which kicked off in June 2020. The Hurricanes finished 3rd overall, winning 5 and losing 3. A notable moment from the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Aotearoa 2020 was that they ended the Crusaders' 18 match home winning streak, defeating them 32–34 in Round 7.
Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021 hasn't been so fortunate to the Hurricanes. They have only won one match, which was a 30–19 victory over the Highlanders in Dunedin.
The Hurricanes play the majority of their home matches at the 34,500 capacitySky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium) on Wellington's waterfront. The stadium is affectionately known asThe Cake-Tin due to its distinctive shape. It was opened in 2000 to replaceAthletic Park, where the team had been previously based.
Central Energy Trust Arena inPalmerston North andMcLean Park inNapier have also played host to Hurricanes home matches. In the initial years of the competition, the Hurricanes played once or occasionally twice, away from their Wellington base depending on whether they had five or six home games per year. However, in recent years, the team has seldom ventured fromSky Stadium, playing at-most one match per year in Palmerston North or Napier.
| Wellington | Palmerston North | Napier |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Stadium | Central Energy Trust Arena | McLean Park |
| Capacity: 40,000 | Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 22,000 |
 |  |  |
The team represents thePoverty Bay,Hawke's Bay,Wanganui,Manawatu,Wairarapa-Bush,Horowhenua-Kapiti andWellington unions. In 2013,Taranaki severed its ties with the club, signing its allegiance to theChiefs in the hope of attracting Chiefs home matches toNew Plymouth.[17] On 7 February 2025, theChiefs announced that alsoEast Coast had changed its provincial affiliation from the Hurricanes to the Chiefs.[18]
In 2012, it was announced that a new company, Hurricanes Investment Ltd Partnership, had purchased a licence from theNZRU to operate the club.[19]
While the NZRU retains ownership of the team, as well as control of the contracts of the players and head coach, the licensee is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations. Hurricanes Investment Ltd Partnership is a joint venture between theWellington Rugby Football Union owning 50 per cent of shares with the remaining 50 per cent held by a consortium of private investors, led by noted economist and authorGareth Morgan.[19] In July 2013, it was announced that the Horowhenua-Kapiti Rugby Football Union had purchased a 3 per cent stake in the company Hurricanes' Investment Ltd Partnership, with $100,000 contributed towards the company.[20]
The Hurricanes have fielded a development team in competitions such as thePacific Rugby Cup and in matches against other representative teams for several seasons. Known as the Hurricanes Hunters[21] or Hurricanes Development XV, the squad is selected from the best emerging rugby talent in the Hurricanes catchment area and is composed of Hurricanes contracted players, wider training group members, under 20s, and selected club players.[22][21]
1997,2003,2005,2006,2008,2009,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2022,2023,2024
A season-by-season summary of the Hurricanes regular season results is shown below:
| Super 12 | Super 14 | Super Rugby | Super Rugby Aotearoa | Super Rugby Trans Tasman | Super Rugby Pacific |
| Season | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | BP | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 9th | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 290 | 353 | -63 | 5 | 17 | |
| 1997 | 3rd | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 416 | 314 | +102 | 10 | 34 | Lost toBrumbies in semi-final |
| 1998 | 8th | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 313 | 342 | -29 | 6 | 26 | |
| 1999 | 10th | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 213 | 226 | -13 | 4 | 22 | |
| 2000 | 8th | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 308 | 329 | -29 | 5 | 29 | |
| 2001 | 9th | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 291 | 316 | -25 | 5 | 25 | |
| 2002 | 9th | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 232 | 317 | -85 | 3 | 23 | |
| 2003 | 3rd | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 324 | 277 | +47 | 7 | 35 | Lost toCrusaders in semi-final |
| 2004 | 11th | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 275 | 303 | -28 | 5 | 23 | |
| 2005 | 4th | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 281 | 248 | +33 | 2 | 34 | Lost toCrusaders in semi-final |
| 2006 | 2nd | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 328 | 226 | +102 | 7 | 47 | Lost toCrusaders in final |
| 2007 | 8th | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 247 | 300 | -53 | 3 | 27 | |
| 2008 | 4th | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 310 | 204 | +106 | 7 | 41 | Lost toCrusaders in semi-final |
| 2009 | 3rd | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 380 | 279 | +101 | 8 | 44 | Lost toChiefs in semi-final |
| 2010 | 8th | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 358 | 323 | +35 | 7 | 37 | |
| 2011 | 9th | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 328 | 398 | -70 | 10 | 42* | 1 |
| 2012 | 8th | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 489 | 429 | +58 | 9 | 57* | 1 |
| 2013 | 11th | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 386 | 457 | -71 | 9 | 41* | 1 |
| 2014 | 7th | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 439 | 374 | +65 | 9 | 41 | |
| 2015 | 2nd | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 458 | 288 | +170 | 10 | 66 | Lost toHighlanders in final |
| 2016 | 1st | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 458 | 314 | +144 | 9 | 53 | DefeatedLions in final |
| 2017 | 3rd | 15 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 596 | 272 | +324 | 10 | 58 | Lost toLions in semi-final |
| 2018 | 4th | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 474 | 343 | +131 | 7 | 51 | Lost toCrusaders in semi-final |
| 2019 | 4th | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 449 | 362 | +87 | 3 | 53 | Lost toCrusaders in semi-final |
| 2020 | 6th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 168 | 135 | +33 | 1 | 17 | Season cancelled due toCOVID-191 |
| 2020 | 3rd | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 202 | 213 | -11 | 1 | 21 | No playoffs, round robin only2 |
| 2021 | 5th | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 200 | 223 | -23 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 195 | 93 | +102 | 5 | 21 | 4 |
| 2022 | 5th | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 441 | 330 | +111 | 7 | 39 | Lost toBrumbies in quarter-final |
| 2023 | 5th | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 480 | 338 | +142 | 5 | 41 | Lost toBrumbies in quarter-final |
| 2024 | 1st | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 480 | 281 | +199 | 8 | 56 | Lost toChiefs in semi-final |
^1Teams were awarded four points for a bye during the Super Rugby seasons from 2011 to 2013. Each team took two bye rounds each season. These additional 8 points are included in their season points tally.
^2All matches after Round 7 were cancelled. the season remained incomplete and no champion was awarded.[23]
^3Super Rugby Aotearoa was announced as a stand-in replacement competition for Super Rugby, between New Zealand Super Rugby sides. It was played as a round robin competition, with no finals. All teams played the other four teams twice, with the title awarded to the highest ranked team at the conclusion of the round robin fixtures.[24][25]
^4Super Rugby Aotearoa adopted the same format in 2021 as the inaugural tournament in 2020, with the addition of a final between the top two ranked teams at the conclusion of the round robin stage.[26]
^5Super Rugby Trans Tasman was a crossover competition between the teams involved inSuper Rugby Aotearoa andSuper Rugby AU. Each team from Super Rugby AU played each team from Super Rugby Aotearoa once, and vice versa. A final was played between the top two seeded teams at the conclusion of the round robin matches.[27][28]
Hurricanes Super Rugby results vs different opponentsSuper Rugby Match Results
| Super Rugby | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Span | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win% | |||||||
 Blues | 1996–2023 | 39 | 19 | 1 | 19 | 48.7% | |||||||
| Chiefs | 1996–2023 | 42 | 21 | 2 | 19 | 50.0% | |||||||
| Crusaders | 1996–2022 | 44 | 13 | 3 | 28 | 29.5% | |||||||
| Highlanders | 1996–2023 | 40 | 25 | 0 | 15 | 60.0% | |||||||
 Brumbies | 1996–2022 | 29 | 12 | 0 | 17 | 42.9% | |||||||
| Force | 2006–2023 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 84.6% | |||||||
| Rebels | 2011–2023 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 90.9% | |||||||
| Reds | 1996–2023 | 25 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 76.0% | |||||||
| Waratahs | 1996–2023 | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 61.5% | |||||||
 Bulls | 1996–2019 | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 54.5% | |||||||
| Cheetahs | 1997–2017 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 72.7% | |||||||
| Lions | 1996–2019 | 23 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 82.6% | |||||||
| Sharks | 1996–2020 | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 50.0% | |||||||
| Southern Kings | 2013–2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | |||||||
| Stormers | 1996–2019 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 42.9% | |||||||
 Jaguares | 2016–2019 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.0% | |||||||
 Sunwolves | 2017–2019 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | |||||||
 Fijian Drua | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | |||||||
  Moana Pasifika | 2022–2023 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% | |||||||
| Overall | 1996–2023 | 385 | 219 | 7 | 159 | 56.9% | |||||||
| Updated to:16 April 2023 | |||||||||||||
The squad for the2025 Super Rugby Pacific season is:[29][a][b][c]
| Hurricanes Super Rugby squad | ||
|---|---|---|
Props Hookers Locks | Loose forwards Halfbacks (scrum-halves) First five-eighths (fly-halves) | Midfielders (centres) Outside backs |
|
| Coach | Period | G | W | D | L | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Oliver | 1996–1999 | 45 | 18 | 1 | 26 | 040.0 |
| Graham Mourie | 2000–2002 | 33 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 048.5 |
| Colin Cooper | 2003–2010 | 104 | 60 | 3 | 41 | 057.7 |
| Mark Hammett | 2011–2014 | 64 | 29 | 2 | 33 | 045.3 |
| Chris Boyd | 2015–2018 | 71 | 54 | 0 | 17 | 076.1 |
| John Plumtree | 2019 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 072.2 |
| Jason Holland | 2020–2023 | 57 | 32 | 0 | 25 | 056.1 |
 Clark Laidlaw | 2024–present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— |
| Totals (1996–present)* | 392 | 222 | 7 | 163 | 056.6 | |
| Updated to:9 November 2023 | ||||||
Notes:
The above is a comprehensive list of Hurricanes captains. Official captains are named in the list as "Captain".
| Preceded by | Super Rugby Champions 2016 (First title) | Succeeded by |
| Teams |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super 12 seasons | |||||
| Super 14 seasons | |||||
| Super Rugby seasons | |||||
| Super Rugby Pacific seasons | |||||
| Super Rugby finals | |||||
| Player transfers | |||||
| Regionalised competitions | |||||
