In honour of 85-game club legend Jerry Collins, the Hurricanes earned a record-breaking 56-20 win over the Highlanders in Napier on Friday night, to qualify first for the Investec Super Rugby semi-finals with a week to spare.
The Hurricanes will head to New Plymouth next week to meet the Chiefs in their final match safe in the knowledge they can't be headed at the top of the table.
The Hurricanes were presented with two trophies afterwards, the Investec Trophy for winning the New Zealand Conference and the BNZ Cup for accumulating the most competition points (62) in the season.
The win was their widest margin of victory (36) against the Highlanders and their 10th bonus point win of the season. It was also their 100th win in Super Rugby match in New Zealand.
Victory was dedicated to Collins, who was a Hurricane between 2001 and 2008 and played 48 tests for the All Blacks. He died with his wife Alana in a car crash in France just hours before kick-off.
Fittingly, the first try of the match was scored by blindside flanker Blade Thomson, playing in the jersey that Collins made many of his appearances in. Similarly, Ma'a Nonu, a former teammate of Collins' for Wellington and the Hurricanes for seven years, came off the bench and scored two tries. Halfback TJ Perenara, a member of Collins' Northern United club in Wellington, also scored two tries.
The Hurricanes led 6-3, before Thomson scored the first of 11 tries in the match.
Right wing Nehe Milner-Skudder set the game alight, setting up a 50-metre try. Fielding a kick in general play, Milner-Skudder danced and scooted through several would-be tacklers and off-loaded to Thomson who crossed out wide.
Two minutes later, fullback Marshall ran in a brilliant solo try from 40 metres out, running on to a Conrad Smith pass and scything through several Highlanders defenders to score near the posts. Marshall converted his own try and the Hurricanes now led 18-3.
The Savea brothers combined to aid in the Hurricanes next try. Julian Savea kicked and chased down Highlanders wing Waisake Naholo who ran the ball back out of trouble. Naholo got away from Julian, but he met Ardie Savea head-on in a crunching tackle that turned the ball over and set up a try for halfback Perenara .
The Highlanders pulled a try back through left wing Ryan Tongia, closing the score to 23-8.
Tongia was soon in the game again, fielding a high kick and taking off towards the try-line. Tongia passed to openside flanker Josh Hardie in support who was stopped in a try-saving tackle by his opposite, Ardie Savea. The Highlanders recycled and pivot Sopoaga darted through to score a second unconverted try for his team.
Undeterred, the Hurricanes built some great phase play, leading to hooker Dane Coles racing through to score their bonus point try. Marshall's conversion put them ahead 30-13.
Hurricanes first five-eighth Beauden Barrett went within a few blades of grass of scoring the Hurricanes' fifth try before halftime, but was held up in a tackle by Highlanders hooker Ash Dixon.
Hurricanes fans only had to wait two minutes into the second half for left wing Julian Savea to run around and score their fifth try of the night after another well-worked build-up. Marshall converted to extend the lead to 37-13.
Highlanders right wing Marty Banks scored in the corner and Sopoaga converted and the Hurricanes led 27-20.
The Hurricanes struck again from long-range, Ardie Savea delivering the final pass to Perenara on his inside to score his second try of the evening. The conversion now put them ahead 44-20.
Played ebbed and flowed throughout the middle stages of the second half.
The Hurricanes broke out and went close to scoring through Julian Savea. The Highlanders scrambled in defence, but they couldn't prevent replacement second five-eighth Ma'a Nonu scoring off the subsequent attacking scrum.
Nonu ran in a double two minutes later, in support of replacement loose forward Brad Shields, in his 50th match for the Hurricanes, who intercepted a Highlanders pass and flicked an offload to Nonu. Marshall added the extras, extending their lead to 56-20.
The wide score in this match also snapped a remarkable run of 13 straight matches between these franchises of the match being decided within seven points.
Scores:
Hurricanes 56 (Blade Thomson, James Marshall, TJ Perenara 2, Dane Coles, Julian Savea, Ma'a Nonu 2 tries; Marshall 2 pens, 5 cons) beat the Highlanders 20 (Ryan Tongia, Lima Sopoaga, Marty Banks tries; Sopoaga dg, con) HT: 30-13
The scoring action by minute:
1st: Lima Sopoaga dropped goal. Highlanders 3-0
4th: James Marshall penalty. Hurricanes 3-3
14th: James Marshall penalty. Hurricanes 6-3
15th: Blade Thomson try. Hurricanes 11-3
18th: James Marshall try. Hurricanes 16-3
19th: James Marshall conversion. Hurricanes 18-3
25th: TJ Perenara try. Hurricanes 23-3
28th: Ryan Tongia try. Hurricanes 23-8
32nd: Lima Sopoaga try. Hurricanes 23-13
36th: Dane Coles try. Hurricanes 28-13
37th: James Marshall conversion 30-13
42nd: Julian Savea try. Hurricnaes 35-13
43rd: James Marshall conversion. Hurricanes 37-13
45th: Marty Banks try. Hurricanes 37-18
46th: Lima Sopoaga conversion. Hurricanes 37-20
47th: TJ Perenara try. Hurricanes 42-20
48th: James Marshall conversion. Hurricanes 44-20
68th: Ma'a Nonu try. Hurricanes 49-20
71stth: Ma'a Nonu try. Hurricanes 54-20
72nd: James Marshall conversion. Hurricanes 56-20
The Hurricanes team was:
1. Reggie Goodes Replaced by Chris Eves, 61st minute
2. Dane Coles Replaced by Brayden Mitchell, 67th minute
3. Ben Franks Replaced by Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 61st minute
4. Jeremy Thrush Replaced by Mark Abbott, 67th minute
5. James Broadhurst
6. Blade Thomson Replaced by Brad Shields, 48th minute
7. Ardie Savea
8. Victor Vito
9. TJ Perenara Replaced by Chris Smylie, 67th minute
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Julian Savea
12. Rey Lee-Lo
13. Conrad Smith
14. Nehe Milner-Skudder Replaced by Ma'a Nonu, 58th minute
15. James Marshall
RESERVES
16. Brayden Mitchell
17. Chris Eves
18. Jeff Toomaga-Allen
19. Mark Abbott
20. Brad Shields
21. Chris Smylie
22. Willis Halaholo
23. Ma'a Nonu