Waratahs flyer Joseph Suaalii swoops in to stop the powerful Kini Naholo from scoring, but the Hurricanes still romped to a 50-point Super Rugby win in Wellington on Friday.

Naholo bagged a hat-trick as the Canes triumphed 57-12 at Sky Stadium. He also nearly dotted down in the corner, only to be denied by a stunning cover tackle from Suaalii.

The visitors struck first through Lawson Creighton but were soon overrun as the home side piled on eight tries.

Joey Walton’s yellow card early in the second half proved costly, as a penalty try pushed the Canes to 31-12. From there, it was one-way traffic.

The Hurricanes, back to their ruthless best, leapt to sixth on the table, while the fifth-placed Waratahs limped home with more injury woes.

In Canberra, the Brumbies moved back inside the top four, surviving a see-sawing struggle with the Highlanders to ride out 34-27 winners.

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