Hurricanes · History

Based in Wellington, the Hurricanes have played in Super Rugby since 1996, the year the Super 12 was launched with five New Zealand franchises. They started out as the Wellington Hurricanes, carry the Māori name Hau Āwhiowhio and draw their players from the southern half of the North Island. They lost the finals of 2006 and 2015, won their first title in 2016 against the Lions and their second in 2026, beating the Chiefs 60-5.

Foundation and territory

The franchise was founded in 1996 to represent the provincial unions of the lower North Island: Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū, Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui, Horowhenua Kapiti, Poverty Bay, East Coast and Taranaki. That map has changed twice. Taranaki moved to the Chiefs in 2013, and East Coast followed in 2025. Frank Oliver was the first head coach, from 1996 to 1999, with Bull Allen as captain until 1998. Graham Mourie took over between 2000 and 2002, and Colin Cooper coached the side from 2003 to 2010.

Home ground

In their early seasons the team played at Athletic Park, Wellington’s old ground, which was later demolished. In 2000 they moved to Wellington Regional Stadium, opened that year with a capacity of 34,500. The venue has changed names with its sponsors, from Westpac Stadium to Sky Stadium and later Hnry Stadium. It staged the finals of 2015, 2016 and 2026.

Finals lost in 2006 and 2015

The first final came in 2006, the opening year of the Super 14. On 27 May, at Jade Stadium in Christchurch, the Hurricanes lost 19-12 to the Crusaders in a match smothered by fog so thick that much of the crowd barely saw the play. Rodney So'oialo was captain, a role he held until 2009. Nine years later, with Chris Boyd coaching from 2015 and Conrad Smith as captain, the team topped the regular season, beat the Brumbies 29-9 in the semi-final and hosted the Highlanders in the final on 4 July 2015. They lost 21-14, which left the Hurricanes as the only New Zealand franchise without a title.

A first title in 2016

The wait ended the following year. Captained by Dane Coles, the Hurricanes beat the Sharks 41-0 in the quarter-final and the Chiefs 25-9 in the semi-final. On 6 August 2016, in Wellington, they won the final against South Africa’s Lions 20-3, with tries from Cory Jane and Beauden Barrett, who scored 15 of the 20 points. The Lions’ three points were the lowest total by any side in a final of the competition. Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga, captain from 2003 to 2005, had all played for the franchise before then, and Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara were part of the squad in those years.

Coaches and seasons from 2017 to 2025

Boyd stayed in charge until 2018. John Plumtree coached the team in 2019 and Jason Holland from 2020 to 2023. In Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2020, the domestic competition that replaced Super Rugby during the pandemic, the Hurricanes finished third with five wins and three defeats; in the 2021 Trans-Tasman tournament they were fourth, winning four of five games. Clark Laidlaw took over in 2024. That year the side finished first in the regular season with 12 wins and 2 losses but went out to the Chiefs in the semi-final. In 2025, with Brad Shields as captain, they finished fourth and were knocked out by the Brumbies in the qualifying finals.

A second title in 2026

In 2026 the Hurricanes topped the table again and reached the Super Rugby Pacific final, played on 20 June in a Wellington gale. They beat the Chiefs 60-5, scoring nine tries. The 55-point margin broke the record for a final, set by the Bulls’ 61-17 win over the same Chiefs in 2009. Ruben Love was man of the match, and his 25 points were the most by one player in a final of the competition. The result took the team to 113 tries and 745 points for the year, both records for a Super Rugby season, and gave them a second title ten years after the first.