Force Finals Hopes Ended By Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have ended any remote hopes the Western Force had of making the Super 14 finals with a 21-10 victory at Westpac Stadium in Wellington tonight.

The home side proved way too strong for a resilient Force outfit, as the Hurricanes scored two tries to one.

Prior to the match, showers poured down over Westpac Stadium which made conditions wet and slippery, but it didn’t seem to affect the Hurricanes who started much the better.

An early Piri Weepu penalty kick was followed by a converted Andrew Hore try to give the Hurricanes a 10-0 lead after just 12 minutes.

The Hurricanes dominated territory for much of the first-half although the Force defended admirably to keep their opponents at bay.

Matt Giteau kicked a penalty for the Force after 26 minutes to reduce the deficit to seven points but the visitors rarely threatened the try line.

The young Force side continued to deny the Hurricanes with brave defence, but after half-time the home side scored two penalties to open up a sizeable lead by the hour mark.

A Hurricanes try was ominous as Hore, Zac Guildford and Scott Waldron all went close to crossing the line early in the second-half.

And when David Pocock was sin-binned for a second offside offence, the Hurricanes made the most of their numerical advantage spreading the ball wide, after another Force line-out error, with Josea Gear going over for the hosts to make it 21-3.

The Hurricanes went in search of a bonus point late in the game as they continued to totally dominate territory but the combination of the difficult conditions and the Force’s tough defence held them out.

The visitors managed to get a late consolation try through full-back Cameron Shepherd who produced a fine individual effort with a kick and chase.

In the end though, the Hurricanes were comfortable winners with 82% territory as the Force rarely threatened. The hosts fell short of earning the bonus point they wanted but the victory puts them in a strong position to make the top four while the Force can begin to plan for next season.