Julian Savea equalled the record for most tries in Super Rugby but it was not enough to stop the Hurricanes crashing to an unexpected loss to Fijian Drua in Suva on Saturday.
The powerful winger crossed for two tries to lift his career tally to 60, level with former Waratahs back Israel Folau.
Savea, whose 46 Test tries rank him second on the all-time All Blacks list, brought up the Super Rugby milestone in his 150th match for the Hurricanes.
Savea’s efforts were not enough to prevent the Hurricanes slumping to a third Super Rugby Pacific defeat from 10 matches this season while the Drua picked up a fourth win with the 27-24 result.
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In his 150th #SuperRugbyPacific match, Julian Savea has equalled the Top Try Scorer of all time record! ?? pic.twitter.com/hLole8ihE6
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) May 6, 2023
Speaking post-match, Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea had no excuses for the loss against a Drua team prepared to attack from all parts of the ground.
“We always knew it was going to be tough, and we just weren’t good enough,” he said. “The Drua capitalised and they played their game. It was hard to defend. They’re very dangerous, very scary.”
Drua captain Tevita Ikanivere said his seventh-placed side will look to capitalise on their home-ground prowess as they push for a top-eight finish over the final four rounds of the regular season.
“It’s good to get back in the winner’s circle but we want to get into the quarter-finals so we have to win those next two [home games],” he said.