WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The Hurricanes overcame the loss of five senior players to disciplinary suspension to beat the Queensland Reds 29-14 with a bonus point in Super Rugby on Saturday.
The Wellington-based Hurricanes were without All Blacks Cory Jane, Julian Savea and Victor Vito, backrower Ardie Savea and prop Chris Eves who were stood down for one match for breaching team curfew during a recent tour to South Africa.
Wes Goosen and Jason Woodward, who replaced Jane and Julian Savea on the wings, shared three tries as the Hurricanes kept their playoff hopes alive with a five-tries-to-one victory. They remain only a point behind the Crusaders, Chiefs and Highlanders, who are atop the New Zealand conference.
Captain Dane Coles and replacement center Ngani Laumape also scored tries for the Hurricanes, who needed to win to revive their playoffs campaign after losing last week to the Durban-based Sharks.
While a crumbling scrum and the goalkicking of flyhalf Beauden Barrett remained a concern, the Hurricanes were able to prey on mistakes from the Reds.
They conceded six penalties in the first half, two of which were converted into points by Reds fullback Ayumu Gorumaru, but a late try to Coles gave the Hurricanes a 12-6 lead at halftime.
Gorumaru cut the lead to 12-9 while the Reds were down to 14 men immediately after the break but Woodward's first try made it 17-9 soon after.
Winger Chris Feauai-Sautia scored a brilliant individual try to put the Reds within five points before Laumape's try and Woodward's second in stoppage time boosted the Hurricanes' margin.
Reds captain James Slipper said Coles' try immediately before halftime was costly.
''Conceding that try really hurt us,'' he said. ''But we were pretty confident with the way we were playing. We probably just didn't execute at the right times, and it's a pretty powerful Hurricanes outfit so they just executed off their opportunities.''
