Western Force pumped by rampant Hurricanes

The Western Force have been dealt a brutal reality check about rugby life in New Zealand, with the Hurricanes running in seven-tries-to-nil in a 43-6 Napier romp.

The Force entered the match as the form Australian team, having put in brave performances in losses to the Chiefs (20-19) and Highlanders (25-15) in Perth.

The Perth-based franchise shot out to a 6-0 lead against the Hurricanes, but it was all one-way traffic from there as the home side ran in a series of stunning running tries in front of 9226 fans.

The Spirit of Rugby | Episode 3

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The Spirit of Rugby | Episode 3

“We were our own worst enemies there,” Force captain Kyle Godwin told Stan after the match.

“We weren’t good enough tonight. They pounced on our mistakes and capitalised. We didn’t stick to structure, we didn’t stick to our game plan and got beaten well and truly.

“We didn’t throw many punches at them. We didn’t challenge them offensively.

“We didn’t trust ourselves enough there. We let the Hurricanes dominate the game. It’s a big learning curve for us.”

The Force made a promising start, capitalising on a series of uncharacteristic errors and discipline issues from the Hurricanes to build a 6-0 lead after 11 minutes.

But all of their good work was undone by an overthrow from the line-out two minutes later.

Is it even legal for a frontrow to run this fast?

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Hurricanes prop Asafo Aumua snared the loose ball and shook off two tacklers in his 60m sprint to the line.

Winger Salesi Rayasi had his 18th-minute try disallowed after he pushed Force halfback Tomas Cubelli in the lead-up.

But there was no denying him in the 21st minute, when he took to the air to score a spectacular try in the corner before being tackled into touch.

The lead ballooned to 19-6 in the 38th minute when Hurricanes prop Tyrel Lomax ripped the ball from Tim Anstee’s grasp to set up a try for Du’Plessis Kirifi.

Alarm bells were ringing for the visitors when Hurricanes winger Wes Goosen won a sprint-off to the line in t he 47th minute to make it 24-6.

Rayasi produced the highlight of the match in the 58th minute when he stuck out his left leg to bobble up an errant pass from Force scrumhalf Ian Prior, and then sprinted the full length of the field to touch down.