The Hurricanes have overtaken the Chiefs as the Super Rugby Pacific title favourites in the eyes of the Between Two Posts panel, with Matt Dunning and Morgan Turinui both siding with Rob Penney's side ahead of the Chiefs after last weekend's overtime classic in Hamilton — a game Dunning called his favourite of the weekend and a potential preview of the 2026 final.
Reviewing Round 10 on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts podcast, host Sean Maloney put the direct question to Dunning and Turinui: after that game, who wins the competition?
"After that match I've got the Hurricanes slightly in front," Dunning said. "Definitely after that game. I know they lost, but I thought they — like, I was really impressed with the scrum from the Hurricanes. Their tighthead, Tu'usi, he's sensational. He's 140 kilos and six-foot-four. He scrummed really well and they put a lot of pressure there. And I think the Hurricanes, you know, are the team to beat. Obviously the Crusaders and the Blues you can't leave them aside, but the Hurricanes are my team."
Turinui, who had been publicly backing the Chiefs throughout the season, admitted he had been moved by the performance. "I've been pumping the Chiefs' tyres every week," he said. "I had them up until the weekend as the tournament favourites. Kept saying, kept saying, kept saying, but then I just think — I don't know that the Canes were able to lead 12-3 at one point away from home against that side."
"I'm with you. I've got the Canes. I think they would have learned more out of that game potentially than the Chiefs did."
The panel were unanimous that the Chiefs' overtime win had the feel of a finals match. "It was outstanding — the drop goal, charged down, straight there to be scored," Dunning said. "The physicality around the ruck in this game was extreme. Like, that's the standard right. It was good old-fashioned rugby. They were hitting each other hard. It was a scrum battle. I thought it was a great game even though it was low-scoring."
Maloney summed up the picture: "Those two look a level above at the moment."
The second major talking point of the round was the Western Force's comeback win over the Crusaders at HBF Park. The Force trailed 19-0 after 34 minutes before the Crusaders were pegged back and ultimately overhauled, a result Turinui thought may have been helped by the scoreboard pressure coming off the Force early.
"Maybe. You know, they lost all the pressure and just went back themselves at it again," he said. "Maybe the weight of expectation totally gone. The Force have always had fight — even over there. There've been ebbs and flows in the quality of the list they've had, and bits and pieces and players taking too much money for not enough output, but in all seriousness the Force have always been a team that fought."
Dylan Peach was the panel's pick as the round's outstanding contributor for the Force. "When that bloke goes, 'bugger it, I'll go through it' — he's in there ripping and tearing in defence. He's ripping at the ball. He's always got the opposing teams on edge when he's in and around breakdown," guest Ben Tucker said. "He doesn't get tackled first up. Finds a way. Angry footballer. Great bloke. Dylan Peach three points for me."
The panel were more cautious about Zac Lomax's debut at 15. "Everything that's individual is excellent — this is an outstanding footballer," Turinui said. "If it's kick a ball, you go and chase and get it. If it's make a line break, make a pass. If it's beat someone one-on-one — absolutely outstanding. He's an impressive physical specimen. The connection stuff, the stuff where you link to other people, the backfield coverage — some of that's Ben Donaldson saying, 'Go, Zack, go.' Communication-wise, because that's what — instead, he gets caught on his heels."
"In his head, you can imagine he just wants to do the right thing, so he can be paralysed by thought, thinking too much. The more certain he can be about what his role is in the multi-connected layers of multi-phase attack, multi-phase defence, the better he's going to be."
For a Super Rugby Pacific season that looks increasingly two-horse at the top, Super Round in Christchurch now looms as the event that could solidify — or upend — the Between Two Posts verdict.
