Smith : Hurricanes loss is ‘tough to take’

Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith says that their 39-30 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney is a “tough one to take”.

Prior to the loss the Hurricanes had not lost to the Waratahs since 2010.

The loss ended the Hurricanes four match winning streak which put them on top of the New Zealand Super Rugby Conference and in third place overall last week.

The loss in Sydney to the Waratahs coupled with other results has seen the Hurricanes drop to third in the New Zealand Conference and seventh place overall but crucially out of the play off places.

Early in the first half the Hurricanes looked to be on course for a fifth straight win after they had scored 17 unanswered points and were leading the home side 7-24.

The Waratahs levelled the scores by half time and then surged ahead in the second half forcing the Hurricanes to chase the game.

“It’s a tough one to take,” said Smith after the match.

“We did well with our opportunities in the first half but we just missed a couple in that second half.”

“They attacked very well and scored points and we just couldn’t keep up.”

The Hurricanes stay in Australia this week and travel to Melbourne where they will take on the Rebels who pushed the table leading Sharks to the edge on Friday.