The Western Force battled to a gutsy, nail-biting, chaotic first-ever super-point draw in their Round 10 SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Hurricanes at HBF Park on Saturday.
Playmaker Ben Donaldson was the hero in normal time, kicking a penalty to level the scores at 17-17 two minutes from the siren, but unfortunately missed a 51-metre penalty and saw a drop goal from close to 30 metres charged down.
At the other end the Hurricanes' Ruben Love had the chance to snatch the points with an after-the-siren drop kick but the ball hit the left-hand post.
The result moved the Force one place up the ladder into fifth, four points inside the top six.
Winger Bayley Kuenzle, on his long-awaited return from injury, scored under the posts to open the Force account and full-back Mac Grealy added a second before the break.
Donaldson converted both tries and added the penalty.
Hurricanes winger Fatafehi Fineanganofo grabbed a double, full-back Callum Harkin crossed for one of his own and kicked a conversion.
Force coach Simon Cron was forced into a late change before kick-off when Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa was injured in the warm-up, replaced by Nic Dolly with Tom Horton coming onto the bench.
The Force showed no effects of the bye as the Hurricanes tried to bulldoze their way through the midfield early with plenty of clean ball.
They were met with stern defence with the Force pushing in on playmaker Love, back in the role after a long absence, forcing him to make quick decisions.
When the visitors went wide they found an opportunity on the short side and after some nice handling, left wing Fineanganofo went over to open the scoring after 10 minutes.
The Force hardly left their own half in the first quarter but they bounced back when Kuenzle went under the posts after a lovely dummy play and pass by Nic White. Donaldson converted.
The Force refused to be outmuscled and when they settled into their patterns made good metres as their forwards rumbled into contact.
As the first period wound down both sides brought out their kicking game but just before the siren the Force forwards launched a ferocious, sustained assault on the Hurricanes after a fantastic break by Carlo Tizzano.
White unleashed a terrific pass to Grealy to dive over in the corner. Donaldson converted.
Just before the try coach Simon Cron had to shuffle his front row when Marley Pearce went off injured and was replaced by Atu Moli.
The Hurricanes launched a brutal assault of their own from the re-start with 15 phases and quick ball, only to be held up, but after consecutive scrums Harkin was able to slip through close to the posts and converted his own try.
As the game wore, becoming sometimes chaotic, and the forwards continued to smash each other, plenty of space began to appear out wide and Fineanganofo grabbed his second.
White was injured in the build-up to the try and replaced by Henry Robertson.
The Force were not going to leave HBF Park without a battle and Donaldson added a penalty with two minutes remaining taking the game to Super point.
He missed the longer attempt in the third minute of Super point time and then had a drop goal charged down, before the Force repelled the late Hurricanes' pressure including Love's attempt.
Western Force 17
Tries: Kuenzle (14'), Grealy (38')
Conversions: Donaldson 2/2
Penalties: Donaldson 1/1
Highlanders 17
Tries: Fineanganofo 2x (10', 62'), Harkin (47')
Conversions: Harkin 1/3
Penalties: Nil
Crowd: 8,230 @ HBF Park
Western Force Match Report, Powered by Altrad
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