Hurricanes magic matches 2008 ? 2013

?Above: Alapati Leiua on the cover of the Hurricanes v Crusaders programme last year. Leiua scored a memorable intercept try to win this game.

Completing our Hurricanes rugby series as the Investec Super Rugby hits full steam ahead with this Saturday's second home match in Wellington against the Cheetahs, here's ten magic matches, home and away, between 2008 and 2013.

2013: Hurricanes 29 - Crusaders 28, Wellington

Right wing Alapati Leiua's 73^rd minute intercept try gave the Hurricanes this one-point win. Leiua read a Crusaders backline move from a lineout in centre field and flew up out of his line to pluck the pass out of the air and sprint 40 metres to score the winner under the posts. First five-eighth Beauden Barrett, who had previously kicked five penalties including two crucial long-range strikes, kicked the conversion and the Hurricanes were back in front for the first time since early in the first half. The drama didn't end there though. The visitors worked their way back up field and positioned first five-eighth Dan Carter in the pocket for a dropped goal. But Carter's pot from in front flew wide and the 13,000-strong crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. The win was the perfect celebration for Victor Vito and Dane Coles who were both playing their 50^th Super Rugby games.

2013 Hurricanes 39 -Cheetahs 34, Bloemfontein

Tremendous character was the key to the Hurricanes' bonus point victory over the Cheetahs in the heartland of South Africa. The Hurricanes kept their noses in front throughout the contest to register their sixth win of the 2013 competition. Led by captain Victor Vito, lock Jeremy Thrush and first-five Beauden Barrett, the Hurricanes scored four second half tries and held off a fast-finishing Cheetahs side to the end. Scores were locked up at 12-12 at halftime, but the Hurricanes broke open the match with tries in the 51st and 53rd minutes. Vito scored the match winner and Barrett converted with 10 minutes to play to make this the third straight high scoring thriller against the Cheetahs in as many years after Thrush had scored on fulltime in a 50-47 win in their last visit to Bloemfontein and the Cheetahs had come back from the brink to pip the Hurricanes 47-38 in Wellington in 2012.

2012 Hurricanes 30 - Lions 28, Johannesburg

Trailing by?a point with two minutes on the clock, first five-eighth Beauden Barrett kicked the winning penalty to give the Hurricanes their first win of the 2012 competition. Barrett's penalty finished off 18 phases of determined, patient play from the Hurricanes as they attacked the Lions' line with vigour and reaped the rewards. Earlier in the second half the Hurricanes had scored a pair of sensational quickfire tries, to hooker Dane Coles and right wing Cory Jane, and the Hurricanes went ahead 27-18.The Lions responded with a further penalty and a try, to lead 28-27 in the shadow of fulltime, but the Hurricanes battled hard to record a memorable win in the high altitude against the then Currie Cup champions This win for the Hurricanes over the Lions was their 14^th in 17 Super Rugby competition matches against them, and their fourth in five games in Johannesburg - an excellent record there.

2012: Hurricanes 26 - Blues 25, Auckland

The Hurricanes grabbed a sensational victory, scoring a converted try on fulltime to clinch the win. Captain and centre Conrad Smith finished off a breathtaking broken field break from halfway by first five-eighth Beauden Barrett to put the Hurricanes behind by a point with Barrett's conversion to come. Then, with the last play of the game, Barrett calmly added the extras and the Hurricanes had earned a hugely memorable victory. Previously, the Blues had been hot on attack down the other end of the field and playing to hold on to or extend their 25-19 lead. But mighty Hurricanes defence provided a turnover and the Hurricanes launched one final assault at the home team's defensive line. From his own side of halfway, Barrett sliced into a gap, beating two defenders and offloading on his outside to Smith in the tackle of the third. Smith pinned his ears back and scooted 25 metres to the whitewash.

2012: Hurricanes 28 - Chiefs 25, Wellington

Hooker-turned replacement blindside flanker Dane Coles burrowed over to score the match winning try with the last play of the regular season of 2012 and first five-eighth Beauden Barrett converted to give the Hurricanes a thrilling 28-25 win over the competition frontrunners. Coles' 84^th minute try after almost five minutes of frantic attacking play inside the Chiefs' 22 was awarded by the TMO, after numerous television replays. Coles' last gasp match-winner was the Hurricanes' third try of the match on a windy night, following two first half tries to All Blacks left wing Julian Savea. Savea's brace and two penalties and a conversion to Barrett put the Hurricanes ahead 18-15 at halftime, before a 57^th minute 40-metre intercept try to Aaron Cruden gave the Chiefs the upper hand. A tense and willing final quarter unfolded and the Chiefs lead 25-21 with 15 minutes to play. It remained tense right up to the 80^th minute.

2012 Hurricanes 23 - Crusaders 22, Christchurch

The Hurricanes held on to beat the Crusaders 23-22 in their last ever match before the earthquakes at the ground once known as Lancaster Park. Crusaders replacement first five-eighth Tyler Bleyendaal had the opportunity to win the game for his side with an ambitious penalty with the last play of the game, but his 50-metre kick fell short and the Hurricanes were left celebrating their ninth win of the season. Courage and commitment won the day for the Hurricanes, who were under pressure for much of the contest with the Crusaders dominating at scrum and lineout time for long periods. They out-scored the Crusaders two tries to one, all tries coming in the first half. Captain and centre Conrad Smith scored both the Hurricanes' tries, while Crusaders wing Zac Guildford scored an opportunist runaway try five minutes before the break.

2011 Hurricanes 28 - Reds 26, Wellington.

First five-eighth Aaron Cruden kicked a penalty with the last play of the game to give the Hurricanes a magical victory to send the crowd home buzzing. Cruden's winning kick from 35 metres out was the perfect finish to then skipper Andrew Hore's 100th game for the Hurricanes. Hore became the fourth ever player to reach the milestone for the franchise as the Hurricanes grabbed their third win of the season and their fourth in a row against the Reds. The Hurricanes had scored four sizzling tries in the first half to lead 22-5 at halftime, but the visitors had come back through two tries and through the boot of playmaking first five-eighth Quade Cooper to take a one-point lead late in the match.

2009 Hurricanes 30 v Crusaders 24, Christchurch

This narrow win over the seven-time champion Crusaders was the Hurricanes' first over them in six games stretching back to 2004, and was their first win in Christchurch since 2001, a run that included three semi-finals and one final. In a tense finish for Hurricanes fans, The Crusaders threatened to snatch victory in the dying minutes?after right wing Jared Payne and then former Hurricane and No. 8 Thomas Waldrom scored tries to see them roar back into the contest after the Hurricanes had earlier established a 30-12 lead. The Crusaders now?just needed a?converted try to snatch a last-gasp victory - with the Hurricanes down to 14 men with skipper Rodney So'oialo having been sent to the sin-bin in the lead-up to Waldrom's try.

2008 Hurricanes 13 v Sharks 13, Wellington

The Hurricanes were unlucky not to snatch victory with the final act of this game. On two fronts. First, No. 8 Thomas Waldrom appeared to ground a loose ball in the Sharks' in-goal for a match-winning try, following a last-gasp lightning raid up the right hand touchline by centre Conrad Smith and right wing Shannon Paku. At the same time, Smith was seemingly tackled early and without the ball on the Sharks goal line by the desperate Sharks cover defence as Paku threw a pass back in field to Smith in the tackle. Neither incident was referred to the TMO by referee Paul Marks when video replays appeared to warrant a closer look at both Waldrom's grounding of the ball in the in-goal or a possible penalty try for the actions of Smith's early tacklers. Instead Marks blew the whistle for fulltime.

2007 Hurricanes 39 v Chiefs 32, in Hamilton

Taranaki lock Paul Tito played 84 matches for the Hurricanes, the most by a Hurricanes forward at the time of his departure to Wales, and helped set up some famous victories. But never was his contribution more valuable when he was on hand to score the winning try in the dying stages of their 2007 round two clash against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Tito, who had played for the Chiefs before joining the Hurricanes in 2000, scooted 30 metres to score in the corner in the 78^th minute to break a 32-32 deadlock. First five-eighth Jimmy Gopperth calmly added the fulltime sideline conversion, after kicking a penalty with ten minutes to go to even up the scores. This was also Ma'a Nonu's 50^th Hurricanes game, celebrating with a 40-metre runaway try in the first half

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An earlier version of this article was first published offline in 2010, in a Hurricanes match-day programme.

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