The Hurricanes edged the Western Force 21-10 in testing conditions in their Super 14 match at the Westpac Stadium, Wellington, on Friday — taking a huge step towards a place in the play-offs.

Despite dominating territory and possession, the Hurricanes managed just two tries in a game in which a steady downpour ended any hope of a free-flowing spectacle.

The Wellington weather did its worst. The wind blew, the rain poured down and Westpac Stadium was largely empty. The Hurricanes are playing so excitingly well but the fans stayed away on a filthy Friday night.

There were some aspects of the play that deserved lots and lots of praise.

One of them was the handling. There were just three scrums in the whole of the first half and one was from a free kick and one in lieu of a penalty. The Western Force did not put the ball into a single scrum, though the Hurricanes dominated possession.

In fact more and more the Hurricanes won possession and position. On a better day they would surely have got their bonus point.

Maybe the weather prevented them from getting their bonus point but more obviously it was the heroic defence of the Western Force. There they were, a children's crusade as the teenagers filled the boots of injured stars, and they defended with such great power that in the end, though the possession count was 82 percent to 18 percent, the try count was just two to one, and one of the ones came off a Western Force mistake.

It was not a spectacular match at all but it certainly had its interest. In short bursts things happened.

Three times the Western Force overthrew the ball into a line-out and three times Scott Waldrom was able to charge happily. The first one set up a Hurricanes attack that ended with a penalty, the second one took Waldrom to the line and the third one produced a try for Hosea Gear. Those are expensive errors when all around are playing so bravely. For the rest the Western Force threw to Nathan Sharpe who caught the ball with great security.

The first overthrow set the Hurricanes bashing attacking with pick-'n-drive and then sheer bashing till Matt Giteau was penalised for being off-side and Piri Weepu goaled. 3-0 after 4 minutes.

It was not all the Hurricanes in this early part of the game as the Western Force had the benefit of the weather and they could well have scored, but Giteau missed from in front when Weepu was off-side and then from a more difficult angle when Scott Waldrom was penalised for off-side and then marched 10 metres for kicking the ball away.

After they had scored their penalty, the Hurricanes attacked and were close till Weepu tried to slip a grubber ahead and Drew Mitchell did well on defence. But they got their try — off a Western Force error.

Giteau took a quick throw-in to himself but was judged to have caught the ball before it had travelled five metres. That resulted in a free kick to the Hurricanes. They tapped and bashed. Neemia Tialata was close and then Andrew Hore was over for a try which the television match official conformed. Weepu converted. 10-0 after 12 minutes./

It was third time lucky for Giteau when Tim Fairbrother was penalised for being off-side and the flyhalf goaled. 10-3 after 26 minutes.

The Hurricanes attacked again and battered at the Western Force line. Tialata was over but the TMO could find no evidence that a try had been scored and a five-metre scrum ensued. The Hurricanes went wide from the scrum, Gear had a strong run and Cory Jane was close but they conceded a free kick.

Rodney So'oialo had a strong run from a line-out and again the Hurricanes were at the line — Tialata and Chris Masoe but Masoe was tackled just short and stood up with the ball, conceding a free kick.

Half time came and the score was 10-3.

In the second half the weather was with the Hurricanes and they played almost all of the game well in Western Force territory, and yet the half ended a try apiece.

Weepu started a promising attack when he chipped and gathered and set So'oialo storming ahead. Weepu grubbered into the Western Force in-goal where David Pocock was penalised for batting the ball back over the dead-ball line. The Hurricanes opted for a scrum. Pocock was off-side at the scrum and the Hurricanes made a line-out. Zac Guildford was close but Weepu knocked on and the brave Western Force survived.

Jane counterattacked and Hore was back at the line. The Hurricanes went wide but a great tackle by Mitchell stopped them. But Sharpe was penalised for being offside and Weepu goaled. 13-3 after 51 minutes.

Giteau kicked the kick-off dead and the Hurricanes were attacking again. When Tai McIsaac overthrew Waldrom was bashing at the line, but the Western Force survived.

Then they were struck a blow when Pocock was sin-binned when it seemed that he had done a legal thing — tackling So'oialo and standing up to play the ball. Weepu goaled the subsequent penalty. 16-3 after 56 minutes.

A shuddering tackle by Ma'a Nonu on 17-year-old James O'Connor produced a loose ball which Scott Waldrom footed over the line. He and two Force players dived for the ball and it ended dead.

In a rare bit of Western Force aggression, Sharpe had a charge which Sitaleki Timani carried on but the move fell apart and the next thing Willie Ripia had belted the ball down into the Western Force 22 for a line-out. McIsaac over threw and the Hurricanes went wide left with quick passing — a magnificent pass by Nonu one of them. Gear had an overlap and he surged the last few metres over for the try. 21-3 after 63 minutes.

The Hurricanes attacked and the Western Force defended. Then the unexpected happened.

Jimmy Gopperth grubbered and the Hurricanes were again right at the line. They made a maul which became unplayable. They thus yielded a free kick which the brave Force ran from their line. Near the Force 10-metre line Jane conceded a free kick. Cameron Shepherd tapped. He chipped, he chased and twice he footed the ball ahead till it was in the Hurricanes in-goal where he and Scott Waldrom raced for the ball. They dived and Shepherd's right hand slapped down on the ball for a try. Giteau converted. 21-10 after 77 minutes.

Both sides attacked — both after a bonus point.

The Hurricanes had a great chance when Gopperth lobbed a perfect diagonal which Gear caught on the run but Haig Sare hauled him down at the ankles and Gear lost the ball forward. It was yet another great tackle by the Western Force.

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