'Stop it': Hurricanes dazzle as unsung hero Josh Moorby scores four tries in rout of Moana Pasifika

The Hurricanes returned to the top of the Super Rugby standings as an understrength lineup was still far too good for Moana Pasifika.

Unsung hero Josh Moorby scored four tries and Kini Naholo added a quickfire double off the bench as torrential rain didn't stop the points flowing in a 50-17 rout at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday night.

The Chiefs had jumped to top spot on the ladder with their 31-21 win over the Queensland Reds on Friday night.

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But it took less than 24 hours for Clark Laidlaw's squad to snatch the No.1 ranking back in an impressive display of depth.

The Hurricanes were missing Test stars Jordie Barrett, Cam Roigard, Ruben Love, Warner Dearns and Peter Lakai for various reasons.

Much of the pre-match musings had focused on whether Fehi Fineanganofo could score his 16th try of the season and match the competition's all-time season record jointly held by Ben Lam and Joe Roff.

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But Fineanganofo was for once denied as fellow wingers Moorby and Naholo filled their boots instead.

Providing much of their opportunity was centre Billy Proctor, who had a superb game and threw a peach of a backhand offload for Moorby's hat-trick try.

"Billy Proctor stop it. Beautifully done," All Blacks great Mils Muliaina said in commentary.

Veteran loose forward Brad Shields also provided an unlikely highlight with his kick try assist for Naholo's second after a long injury layoff.

The Hurricanes will return to Auckland next Saturday for a clash with the third-placed Blues.

It was another tough outing for Tana Umaga's Moana, who are bowing out of Super Rugby at the end of the season.

"Just really want to quickly acknowledge Moana Pasifika and the situation that they're going through," Hurricanes captain Du'Plessis Kirifi said post-match.

"Our hearts and our thoughts go out to not just the players but the families that they represent. For a lot of these boys, it's a dream to not only play professional rugby but represent their family and friends both here and afar. And I know that the future is uncertain.

"So as a playing group and a wider Hurricanes family and club, we just want to acknowledge that and empathise with them and wish them all the very best."

Laidlaw switched Fineanganofo to the right wing when Naholo was introduced, with Moorby moving to fullback.

The coach now has huge amounts of firepower as the Hurricanes head towards the playoffs.

The only negative of the evening came in the form of Kirifi icing a knee at the end of the game after being replaced at halftime.

Moorby opened the scoring with an excellent finish in the right-hand corner after 11 minutes.

It was a sign of things to come as the Hurricanes took charge in the first half due to their greater accuracy, and Moorby grabbed his second after another period of pressure.

Kirifi was frequently at the heart of the action, carrying and tackling strongly, and it was fitting that he got his name on the scoresheet from a maul try.

Callum Harkin, whose goalkicking was impressive in the tough conditions, was successful with the conversion and the Hurricanes appeared to be in cruise control at 19-0.

Moana hit back immediately with a try to elusive right winger Tuna Tuitama, but just as they appeared to be building some momentum Kirifi came up with an important breakdown penalty inside his own 22m.

Kirifi celebrated the penalty with gusto, as it meant the Hurricanes would take an important 12-point cushion into the sheds against an opposition that thrives on momentum.

Lock Caleb Delany continued his strong recent form for the Hurricanes, while Proctor's class was evident throughout.

Proctor set up Moorby for his third try after 52 minutes, a moment that showed the difference between the sides.

The Hurricanes spent the previous 10 minutes on defence, but Moana lacked the cutting edge to get over the line.

The home side again tried to score with a Springboks-style maul from a quick tap, but they couldn't make it work for a second game in a row after succeeding against the Blues last week.

The Hurricanes cut loose when Naholo was injected in the second half and their impressive show of depth reinforced their title credentials. - with Stuff