Rugby: Hurricanes pick up scratchy win

Toby Lynn of the Force is tackled during the round 10 Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes...
Toby Lynn of the Force is tackled during the round 10 Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Force at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Photo by Getty

Going by the post-match gloom it was tough to tell the Hurricanes actually beat the Western Force 22-16 in Wellington tonight.

It was a dour contest with few highlights but the Hurricanes did manage to bank another four competition points, although you might not have been able to work out the home side actually won if you listened to the post-game comments.

Coach Mark Hammett and captain Conrad Smith weren't impressed with the nature of the performance and seemed relieved to get out of the game alive.

"It was a frustrating game," Smith said. "But I think we were coping pretty well. Obviously, I don't like making excuses, but I think we are missing a few key players and a bit of experience. So I think these games are always going to be tough and I think there's a lot we can work on. I think the breakdown was a problem area today. They didn't let us get in to the game, they attacked it really well and we didn't deal with that too well. But we got a win and we'll keep fighting."

The Hurricanes were without Victor Vito (calf), Dane Coles (fractured eye socket), while Cory Jane is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Hammett was slightly more upbeat but acknowledged they needed to be more clinical in their on-field execution.

"Very happy with preparation, very happy with intent. So that was great and that was something we really wanted to focus on and we are happy with a win, there's no doubt about it," Hammett said.

"But I think it was just the way we were going about it, it sort of felt like, I think the stat was we only had seven rucks where we went over seven phases and you saw when we did build our game for those seven we put some real pressure on and scored some good tries."

One man who was a bit more pleased after the game was tighthead prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen.

The big bookend scored the first try of the night as he became the fourth Hurricanes prop to find the line this season after Ben May, Reg Goodes and Ben Franks.

Toomaga-Allen joked the pressure had been building on him to get that elusive five-pointer.

"There was a lot. From my dad," the 22-year-old laughed. "Nah, just a lot from myself as I well, I was like shucks, these guys are scoring some pretty good tries."

Front-rowers are more well-known for their strong scrummaging and Toomaga-Allen said there wouldn't be too much bragging among the big boys at training next week.

"It's more a silent assassin kind of thing," he laughed. "You just know because everyone's scored and you're the only one that hadn't so I'm pretty glad to get under the sticks."

Flanker Brad Shields and first-five Tusi Pisi were the other try-scorers for the Hurricanes while Beauden Barrett added a handful of points with his boot.

The Hurricanes made the going tough on themselves all night as they gave away 12 penalties and were forced to play the last eight minutes with 14 men as James Broadhurst was sent to the sin bin.

The home side never looked like losing but the result was a lot closer than many people would have predicted given how little the Force offer on attack.

The Western Australians were spirited at the contact area all night and livewire halfback Alby Mathewson scored a great solo try mid-way through the second spell that clearly galvanised the team.

Eventually though the Hurricanes' superior quality shone through and they held on to win but they would have preferred it to have been a bit more comfortable.

The Hurricanes host the Stormers in Palmerston North next Friday night while the Force head to Canberra to meet the Brumbies next Saturday.


Hurricanes 22 (Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Brad Shields, Tusi Pisi tries; Beauden Barrett pen, 2 con) Western Force 16 (Alby Mathewson try; Jayden Hayward 3 pens, con) HT: 15-3


 

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