The Hurricanes ( ; formerly the Wellington Hurricanes) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

team based in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

that competes in Super Rugby. The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lower North Island, including the East Coast,

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

, Horowhenua Kapiti, Manawatu,

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay ( Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa'') is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for from Young Nick's Head in the southwest to Tuaheni Point in the no ...

, Wairarapa-Bush,

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

and

unions. They currently play at Sky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium), having previously played at the now-defunct Athletic Park. 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 the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

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 the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

, after again finishing the regular season first and hosting the final.

History

Early years: 1996–1997

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 former All Black Frank Oliver, while Bull Allen was named as captain. Their first match, played at

Palmerston North Showgrounds Central Energy Trust Arena is the current name of the 180,000 square metre publicly owned recreational complex just west of the Palmerston North city centre in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It has three linked indoor stadiu ...

against the Auckland 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 in Canberra to the ACT Brumbies. However the consistent form shown during this season would not be seen again for many years.

Expect the unexpected: 1998–2002

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 the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

stars Tana Umaga and

Christian Cullen Christian Mathias Cullen (born 12 February 1976) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand (the All Blacks), for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later ...

. 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 the 1999 World Cup,

Jonah Lomu Jonah Tali Lomu (12 May 1975 – 18 November 2015) was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. Lomu is considered to have been the first true global superstar of rugby, and consequently had a huge impact on the game. He is widely regarde ...

's contract with the NZRU expired he was linked to many clubs around the world, in

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

as well as union and also the NFL's

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

. On 23 November 1999 it was announced that the winger had re-signed with the NZRU and agreed terms with the

Wellington Rugby Union The Wellington Rugby Football Union (known as the Wellington Lions for competition reasons) are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Wellington Region. The main stadium is Sky Stadium (formerly named West ...

, despite a reported a £1.1 million offer by

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. 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 a new stadium. The highlights of that year included the victory over eventual champions the

, 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 the Bulls 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 the

Wellington Lions The Wellington Rugby Football Union (known as the Wellington Lions for competition reasons) are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Wellington Region. The main stadium is Sky Stadium (formerly named West ...

(whom most of the Hurricanes squad were chosen from) winning the 2000 NPC, the Hurricanes finished ninth in the final standings in 2001; one worse than the year before. Another ninth placing in 2002 resulted in Graham Mourie, who had led the team since 2000, resigning.

New era: since 2003

In spite of reports that

Colin Cooper Colin Terence Cooper (born 28 February 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a defender who notably played in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. He played ove ...

, the then

assistant-coach, had said he was "not yet ready to jump ship" and wanted to stay with the South Island franchise, 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 captain Tana Umaga, helped to mould the inconsistent and ill-disciplined Hurricanes into one of the top teams in the competition. 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-fielder Ma'a Nonu, his strong performances and partnership with captain Tana Umaga pushed out former All Black Pita Alatini and saw him score six tries en route to the All Black squad. The team also benefited from the steady hand of David Holwell at first five-eighth and an improving and mobile forward pack. Hurricanes stalwart

would leave

shores for Irish club Munster after his omission from the All Blacks 2003 World Cup squad, despite scoring eight tries during the season. All Black great

was left out of the 2004 squad, due to a life-threatening illness that would eventually result in a

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...

. He would never again play for the Hurricanes. The majority of the team was retained< for 2005. including new centre Conrad Smith. The Hurricanes came back in 2005 to the form that saw them make the playoffs two years prior. Former New Zealand Colt Flyhalf Jimmy Gopperth was the real "find" of the season, scoring 139 points, which helped offset the departure of David Holwell to Ireland. The Hurricanes had tried to sign Australian playmaker Brock James, who had starred the previous NPC season for Taranaki and the Blues, and young star Luke McAlister indicated that he would like to play in Wellington. With both Daniel Carter and Aaron Mauger at the Crusaders capable of playing first five-eighth the team also made an attempt to lure

Andrew Mehrtens Andrew Philip Mehrtens (born 28 April 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He was regarded as a top first five-eighth, having played first for Canterbury in 1993, before being selected for the All Blacks (New Zealand's national te ...

to Wellington, without success. In 2006 two new teams entered the competition, the Bloemfontein-based

Cheetahs The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

from South Africa and the Perth-based

Western Force The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. F ...

from Australia, creating the Super 14. Rodney So'oialo was appointed captain of the Hurricanes to succeed former All Black captain Tana Umaga. The team won all but four matches. They made their first Super Rugby final but lost to the

in a match played under thick fog. Following the match there was an incident in a nightclub involving Chris Masoe and Tana 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. 2011 saw the arrival of Mark Hammett as coach and the departure of

Andrew Hore Andrew Keith Hore (born 13 September 1978) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for the All Blacks between 2002 and 2013. His position was hooker. He notably played for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, but also represented the ...

, Ma'a Nonu and

Piri Weepu Piri Awahou Tihou Weepu (born 7 September 1983) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. Weepu played most recently for Wairarapa Bush in the Heartland Championship. Generally Weepu played as a half-back but also played at first five-eigh ...

. The Hurricanes finished 11th in the

2013 Super Rugby season The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brum ...

. 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 the Highlanders 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 hooker Dane Coles was named captain for the 2016 season. Rugby World Cup-winning halfback TJ Perenara was named as vice-captain. 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 the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

winning 41-0 at

Wellington Regional Stadium Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is . The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situ ...

. They carried on to the semi finals playing the Chiefs and winning 25-9 at

. The Hurricanes played the

in the final, winning the game 20-3 at

. This was the first time in Super Rugby history that the Hurricanes won the title. It was Victor 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.

Honours

Super 12/14 (1996–2010)

* Runners-up (1) 2006 * Playoff Appearances (5)

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, 2003, 2005,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 2009

Super Rugby (2011–present)

* New Zealand Conference Champions (2) 2015,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

* Championship Runners-up 2015 * Championship Winners

Home Grounds and Franchise Area

Grounds

The Hurricanes play the majority of their home matches at the 34,500 capacity Sky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium) on Wellington's waterfront. The stadium is affectionately known as ''The Cake-Tin'' due to its distinctive shape. It was opened in 2000 to replace Athletic Park, where the team had been previously based.

Central Energy Trust Arena Central Energy Trust Arena is the current name of the 180,000 square metre publicly owned recreational complex just west of the Palmerston North city centre in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It has three linked indoor stadiu ...

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

and

McLean Park McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby union. It is one of the largest cricket grounds in New Zealand. McLean Park is a sports ground of international standards ...

in Napier 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 home five or six games per year. However, in recent years, the team has seldom ventured from Sky Stadium, playing at-most one match per year in Palmerston North or Napier.

Region

The team represents the East Coast,

, Manawatu, Wairarapa-Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti and

unions. In 2013,

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

severed its ties with the club, signing its allegiance to the in the hope of attracting Chiefs home matches to New Plymouth.Canes hopeful of tempting Taranaki's finest
/ref>

Ownership and Finances

In 2012, it was announced that a new company, Hurricanes' Investment Ltd Partnership, had purchased a license from the NZRU to operate the club. Whilst 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 the

Wellington Rugby Football Union The Wellington Rugby Football Union (known as the Wellington Lions for competition reasons) are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Wellington Region. The main stadium is Sky Stadium (formerly named West ...

owning 50 per cent of shares with the remaining 50 per cent held by a consortium of private investors, led by noted economist and author Gareth Morgan.

Development team

The Hurricanes have fielded a development team in competitions such as the Pacific Rugby Cup and in matches against other representative teams for several seasons. Known as the Hurricanes Hunters 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.

Season-by-Season summary

Results per opposition

Hurricanes Super Rugby results vs different opponent

Current squad

The squad for the

2023 Super Rugby Pacific season The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season (known as Harvey Norman Super Rugby Pacific in Australia, Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific in Fiji and DHL Super Rugby Pacific in New Zealand) is the 28th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition ...

is:

Former players

* Pita Alatini (17 tests, 3 matches) * Inoke Afeaki* * Bull Allen (8 tests, 19 matches) * Stephen Bachop (5 tests, 13 matches) * Beauden Barrett (88 tests, 1 match) * Andrew Blowers (11 tests, 7 matches) * James Broadhurst (1 test) *

Sireli Bobo Isireli Bobo (born 28 January 1976), is a Fijian rugby union footballer. Early career Early in his career, he played for Grupo Dramático e Sportivo Cascais, a Portuguese team. He was in the Nawaqavesi 7s and was subsequently picked to play at ...

* * Bill Cavubati* * Jerry Collins (48 tests, 2 matches) * Mark Cooksley (11 tests, 12 matches) * Phil Coffin (3 matches) *

Aaron Cruden Aaron Wiremu Cruden (born 8 January 1989) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for Chiefs and formerly Montpellier, Manawatu and New Zealand internationally. Cruden's usual position is first five-eighth (fly half). Early life Crud ...

(50 tests) *

(58 tests, 2 matches) * Chresten Davis (2 matches) * Rhys Duggan (1 test) * Jason Eaton (15 tests, 2 matches) * Hika Elliot (4 tests, 1 match) *

Tamati Ellison Tamati Edward Ellison (born 1 April 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Career Domestic Ellison was born in Wellington, and made his debut for the Wellington Lions in the 2003 NPC final defeat against Auckland. He also captained ...

(4 tests, 1 match) * Bryn Evans (2 tests) * Riki Flutey* * Ben Franks (47 tests, 1 match) *

Hosea Gear Hosea Emiliano Gear (born 16 March 1984) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played as a wing. He has also played 14 international matches for New Zealand. Early life The younger brother of Rico Gear, he was born in Gisborne, New Ze ...

(14 tests, 1 match) * Zac Guildford (10 tests, 1 match) * Norm Hewitt (9 tests, 5 matches) *

(83 tests) *

Cory Jane Cory Steven Jane (born 8 February 1983) is a New Zealand international rugby union player. He first played for the All Blacks in 2008 and plays as a winger. In 2011 Jane was selected into the Tri Nations team as injury cover. A few weeks late ...

(53 tests, 2 matches) * Alama Ieremia (30 tests, 10 matches) * Danny Lee (2 tests) *

(63 tests, 10 matches) *

Simon Mannix Simon James Mannix (born 10 August 1971 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand) is a former rugby union footballer who now serves as head coach of Pau in the Top 14 having previously worked as backs coach for Munster and Racing Metro. Mannix played one tes ...

(1 test, 8 matches) * Alby Mathewson (4 tests, 1 match) * Chris Masoe (20 tests) * Joe McDonnell (8 tests) * Brad Mika (3 tests) * Nehe Milner-Skudder (13 tests) * Charlie Ngatai (1 test) * Ma'a Nonu (103 tests, 1 match) * Jason O'Halloran (1 test) * TJ Perenara (69 tests, 1 match) *

Jon Preston Jon Paul Preston (born 15 November 1967) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A halfback and first five-eighth, Preston represented Canterbury and Wellington at a provincial level and the in Super Rugby. He was a member of the New Zeala ...

(10 tests, 17 matches) * Matt Proctor (1 test) * Mark Ranby (1 test) * Roger Randle (2 matches) * John Schwalger (2 tests) * Gordon Slater (3 tests, 3 matches) * Conrad Smith (94 tests) * Toby Smith* * Rodney So'oialo (62 tests, 1 match) * Jeremy Stanley (3 matches) * Paul Steinmetz (1 test) * Glenn Taylor (1 test, 5 matches) * Jeremy Thrush (12 tests) * Neemia Tialata (43 tests, 1 match) *

Filo Tiatia Filogia Ian "Filo" Tiatia (born 4 June 1971 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand international rugby union footballer, best known as a back-row forward and occasional lock for Welsh region the Ospreys. Tiatia made his debut for Wellingt ...

(2 tests) * Isaia Toeava (36 tests, 1 match) * Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (3 tests) * Ofisa Tonu'u (5 tests, 3 matches) * Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (1 test, 2 matches) * Tana Umaga (74 tests, 5 matches) * Kupu Vanisi (1 test) * Victor Vito (33 tests) * Scott Waldrom (1 match) * Dion Waller (1 test, 2 matches) *

(71 tests, 2 matches)

Staff

Coaches

Notes:

Official Super Rugby competition matches only, including finals.

Assistant Coaches

assistant coach (2020–present) *

Tyler Bleyendaal Tyler Bleyendaal (born 31 May 1990) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and current coach. Primarily a fly-half who could also play at centre, Bleyendaal played for Canterbury, and Munster during his playing career, before he was force ...

assistant coach (2021–present) *Richard Watt technical advisor (2015–present)

Captains

* Bull Allen (1996–1998, 30 games - ''Captain'') *

(1998, 3 games, Allen injured) * Norm Hewitt (1998-2000, 15 games - ''Captain'') * Jason O'Halloran (1999, 8 games, Hewitt injured) * Gordon Slater (2001-2002, 22 games - ''Captain'') * Tana Umaga (2003–2005, 35 games - ''Captain'') * Jerry Collins (2004, 3 games, Umaga injured) * Rodney So'oialo (2006–2009, 49 games - ''Captain'') * Paul Tito (2007, 1 game, So'oialo injured) *

(2009, 1 game, So'oialo injured) *

(2010–2011, 28 games - ''Captain'') * Victor Vito (2011, 2 games, Hore rested; 2013, 1 game) * Conrad Smith (2007, 1 game; 2012–15, 60 games - ''Captain'') * Jeremy Thrush (2014, 3 games, C. Smith injured) * Dane Coles (2015, 1 game, C. Smith rested) (2016–2018 - ''Captain'') * Brad Shields (2017, D. Coles injured; 2018, D. Coles injured) * TJ Perenara (2016, 2 games, D. Coles injured; 2017, 7 games, D. Coles injured) * Ardie Savea (2019–present - ''Captain'') ''The above is a comprehensive list of Hurricanes captains. Official captains are named in the list as "Captain".''

References

External links

*
New Zealand Super Rugby website

SANZAAR Super Rugby website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurricanes Super Rugby teams New Zealand rugby union teams Rugby union in the Wellington Region Super Rugby champions 1996 establishments in New Zealand Rugby clubs established in 1996