Du'Plessis Kirifi of the Hurricanes dives over for a try against the Force. Photo / Getty
Hurricanes 45
Force 42
The Hurricanes continue to build.
Super Rugby Pacific’s highest-scoring team were at it again when they hosted the Western Force in Palmerston North on Sunday, scoring seven tries in a 45-42 win.
The first team to crack 200 points for the season, the Hurricanes are now more than halfway towards their wins in 2022 (eight), with the victory over the Force their fifth of the season.
They now sit second on the ladder through six rounds, declaring themselves as a team everyone needs to be taking notice of.
In a game where they were without several of their top players, the Hurricanes put pressure on their opposition through their attack, with their ability to launch on the counter-attack causing all sorts of problems for the Force.
They did, however, let a bonus point slip through their grasp as the Force fought valiantly to the final whistle – scoring 35 points in the second half.
“We’re definitely building. I think we’re just showing a few soft moments in games that are letting teams in. But that’s the beauty of footy; you get in on Monday, get the review done and you stop those soft moments,” Dane Coles told Sky Sport.
They executed well with set plays from attacking lineouts, with several of their early tries coming as a result of lineout moves that looked like they had come straight from the training field.
But while they looked impressive when they got things right, their play did get a bit loose at times with passes not finding the mark, and their ball security left something to be desired.
There were some issues defensively too. Each time the Force scored, it was because they were allowed to get a roll on against a scrambling defensive line. Although they allowed the Force plenty of room to stretch the legs, the Hurricanes did some good work to get their hands on the ball at the breakdown – with Du’Plessis Kirifi particularly excelling in that area as he won four turnovers.
Kirifi was in the thick of this from the outset, scoring the opening try. After winning the lineout at the back with a set play, Kirifi made a good run to get his side deep in attacking territory. He was rewarded a few phases later with an easy line to score.
Tries to Brayden Iose and Coles followed in the half as the Hurricanes asserted themselves, however the Force were able to hang around with a try of their own through lock Jeremy Williams.
A second try to Iose before the break, however, gave the hosts a comfortable 26-7 halftime lead.
There were plenty of points on offer for both teams in the second period and more gaps started appearing in both defences.
It turned into 40 minutes of point scoring, with the Hurricanes scoring three tries to the Force’s two to take a 45-21 lead, before the Force crossed in the 70th, 80th and 85th minutes to deny the Hurricanes a bonus point and snare one of their own.
Hurricanes 45 (Brayden Iose 2, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Dane Coles, Bailyn Sullivan, Kini Naholo, Hame Faiva tries; Jordie Barrett 5 cons)
Force 42 (Zach Kibirige 2, Jeremy Williams, Gareth Simpson, Siosifa Amone, Jake Strachan tries; Simpson 3 cons, Strachan 3 cons)
HT: 26-7
The All Blacks star made a brief appearance at his new club.