In-form wing Ben Lam continued his his rich run of form as he crossed for a hat-trick of tries as the Hurricanes ran out deserved 28-19 winners over the Lions at Westpac Stadium on Saturday night.

Already the Investec Super Rugby’s top try-scorer in 2018, Lam took his tally to 12 as the Hurricanes maintained their unbeaten run at home this season.

He opened the scoring in just the eighth minute before Ardie Savea added another for the home side.

With Beauden Barrett landed two superb conversions in a really tricky wind, the home side looked to be heading in the right direction with a 14-0 lead minutes out from the break.

However, the Lions hit back on the stroke of halftime to make it 14-7 before the Hurricanes returned from the dressing room to score one of the best team tries of the year, Lam’s second.

The big winger then added a third as the Hurricanes took the match by the scruff of the neck as they enjoyed long periods of dominance.

The Lions have been South Africa’s best side for a number of years, though, and they refused to lie down, scoring late tries to Marnus Schoeman and Sylvian Mahuza to narrow the gap to 28-19.

While the score might have flattered the visitors to some extent it did reflect their determination to stay in the game.

The Hurricanes showed continued to show at times how lethal they could be with the ball but the conditions meant it was difficult to be as accurate as they needed to be.

There were a number of stand-out performances with Lam the obvious one along with the Savea brothers - Ardie and Julian - while Beauden Barrett was superb in a of his play.

The Hurricanes now prepare to face in the Blues at Eden Park on Friday night.

Hurricanes 28 (Ben Lam 3, Ardie Savea tries; Beauden Barrett 4 con) Lions 19 (Nic Groom, Marnus Schoeman, Sylvian Mahuza tries; Elton Jantjies 2 con). HT: 14-7.