Ben Donaldson of the Force is tackled by Ruben Love of the Hurricanes. Photo / Getty Images
Hurricanes 17
Western Force 17
The Hurricanes may have technically ended their losing run. But just how much good will come from a 17-all draw against the Western Force at Perth’s HBF Park remains to be seen.
Having trailed 14-5 at the break, Clark Laidlaw’s side showed incredible fight to get back into the contest, and then take the lead late on.
But as a late penalty levelled the scores and forced Super Point, the two sides couldn’t be separated, and split the points between them.
Shifting from fullback into No 10, Ruben Love had the chance to snatch victory for the Hurricanes, only for his drop goal attempt to hit the post after the final siren.
The missed kick capped a frustrating night for Love in his new position. While there were shades of brilliance with ball in hand, Love’s kicking game - understandably - resembled a fullback playing out of position, rather than a specialist first-five.
Regardless, with his side’s playmaking stocks already hit this season, Love’s outing at No 10 will give the Hurricanes a solid platform to build on, if he is to remain there for the rest of the season.
In defence, the Hurricanes were excellently marshalled by Du’Plessis Kirifi, who continues to put both hands up for higher honours later this season.
Despite the Hurricanes benefitting from the return of Billy Proctor for the first time in 2025 after an Achilles injury, the Wellington side lost a trio of players to failed concussion tests, and will leave Laidlaw with tough decisions to make for next week’s trip to Canberra.
The two points gained for the draw at the very least lifts the Hurricanes up to seventh on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, ahead of both the Blues and the Highlanders.
Nonetheless, the Hurricanes are still winless since the end of March, without victory from their last three attempts.
The Force were hit before kick-off, as hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa pulled up injured in the warm-up, and saw the hosts need to make a late reshuffle in their front row.
What’s more, they could have been hit further when a bat down by winger Harry Potter was overlooked, with no yellow card issued for a deliberate knock-on. It was instead judged to be a failed intercept, as the Hurricanes camped themselves in the Force’s half.
But the Force’s resistance could only hold for so long. A break from Xavier Numia - of all people - allowed Love to attack down the Hurricanes’ left, before an offload from Peter Umaga-Jensen sent Fatafehi Fineanganofo over in the corner for a 5-0 lead.
However, even with that opening score and boasting a dearth of attacking talent, the Hurricanes couldn’t click in the first 40 minutes.
That lead didn’t last long, though, as Force winger Bayley Kuenzle - making his return after a knee injury last July - was sent through a gap inside the Hurricanes’ 22 by Nic White, and scored under the posts.
Despite superior territory midway through the first half, the Hurricanes weren’t able to turn pressure into points, as their discipline worked against them, not helped by the Force’s Carlo Tizzano proving to be a nuisance at the breakdown.
First-half chances for the Hurricanes went largely without reward; a 60m run from Callum Harkin was squandered when Love kicked through the line on halfway, with only Ngatungane Punivai chasing.
At the other end, the Force needed no second invitation to increase their lead. As a Tizzano breakaway saw the hosts camped in the opposing 22, the Hurricanes repelled wave after wave of Force attack, until the ball was spun wide to Mac Grealy on the right, as White again played provider.
Down 14-5 at the break, the Hurricanes’ woes continued into the second spell, as the trio of Asafo Aumua, Isaia Walker-Leawere and Umaga-Jensen all failed head injury assessments during the interval.
A 12-phase attack deep inside Force territory saw both Love and Cam Roigard attempt to dart over the tryline, only for the latter to be held up by the boot of one of his teammates.
But as the Hurricanes continued to knock on the door, Harkin finally opened it, when substitute Riley Higgins sent Harkin over, seven minutes into the second half.
The Hurricanes could have had a third minutes later, as Harkin was slipped through, only for his wayward offload to miss the oncoming Roigard - with the tryline open in front of him.
While Roigard was denied the chance to score himself, the halfback’s ability to create came to the Hurricanes’ rescue, as he freed Fineangofo, who held off more than one defender to score his second.
The Force were also dealt another blow, as White collided with Fineangofo, and was ruled out of the rest of the match.
Up 17-14 heading into the final 10 minutes, the Hurricanes clung on, as Potter was beaten by the bounce of his own chip and chase, and took out a camera operator for good measure.
With minutes left on the clock, a 40m penalty gave the Force the chance to take the match to Super Point, to which Donaldson obliged, and scored his side’s first points of the second half in the process.
After opting to kick-off in Super Point, Harkin spilled the ball into touch when the Force returned fire, before the hosts won another penalty - this time inside their own half. Donaldson couldn’t repeat his heroics, but shaved the post for good measure.
As the Force piled forward, and got through more than 20 phases in the process, a Donaldson drop-goal was charged down by Peter Lakai, and saw the Hurricanes get back inside the opposition half.
Having thrown the kitchen sink at the Force in regulation time, the Hurricanes did the same again to try and work their chance in Super Point.
But as time ran out, Love’s effort after the second siren hit the post, and saw the spoils shared.
Western Force 17 (Kuenzle, Grealy tries; Donaldson 2 conversions; Donaldson penalty)
Hurricanes 17 (Fineanganofo 2, Harkin tries; Harkin conversion)
HT: 14-5
The Chiefs have run rampant in Hamilton, scoring five unanswered second-half tries.