Wellington--The Wellington Hurricanes and Otago Highlanders have become the ugly duckling stories of New Zealand rugby after defying their critics to reach the Super 15 final.
The only New Zealand sides never to have won the Super crown started this season as two of the most unfancied outfits.
But they emerged from the regular season as the top two performers and then comprehensively downed the ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs in the Super semi-finals on Saturday.
The Hurricanes and Highlanders both specialised in positive, attacking rugby with impressive averages of nearly four tries and 30 points per game.
The pace-setting Hurricanes, whose only previous final appearance was a loss to the Canterbury Crusaders in 2006, won the right to host the final when they beat the two-times champion Brumbies 29-9 in Wellington.
In Sydney, the Highlanders crushed the Wallaby-laden Waratahs 35-17 to book a final berth for the first time since their lone 1999 appearance when they were also beaten by the Crusaders.
The Hurricanes-Highlanders showdown ensures the southern hemisphere championship will have a first-time titleholder, and for the fifth time in the 20-year history of the tournament it will be an all-New Zealand affair.
It was far from faultless rugby by the Hurricanes but with a backline including All Blacks Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Julian Savea and rising new star Nehe Milner-Skudder, coach Chris Boyd said it was worth taking risks.
"If you play a high risk and reward game you've got to expect you will make mistakes," he said, promising the same approach in the final.
"I don't suspect we'll change anything actually. We are just happy that we can go to the last dance and we do it in our own hall."
AFP
