Force and Hurricanes players react after the game ends. Photo: Super Rugby Pacific
The Western Force had a goal post to thank for walking away with a 17-all golden-point draw against the Wellington Hurricanes.
In a finish to Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific match in Perth, Force flyhalf Ben Donaldson had nailed a 39m penalty in the 78th minute to level the scores and send it into a super-point period.
A penalty attempt by him missed and a drop-goal attempt from 30m out was charged down.
Then Hurricanes flyhalf Ruben Love unleashed a drop-goal attempt from 25m out which hit the left post and bounced away.
Force captain Jeremy Williams admitted afterwards that he didn’t realise the competition’s Super point stopped after just one period.
“I actually had no idea. I thought it was two halves,” he told TV interviewers.
“I’d never really been in an extra-time match before. I didn’t really know the rules around it or how the kick-off kind of thing works.”
SCORE FLATTERS BRUMBIES A TOUCH
The ACT Brumbies had to roll up their sleeves to notch a hard-earned 24-0 win over Moana Pasifika in Auckland on Saturday.
Try-scoring doubles to fleet-footed winger Corey Toole and replacement hooker Billy Pollard secured the Brumbies back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
For almost an hour, the match in Pukekohe seemed destined to finish as the lowest-scoring in Super Rugby’s 30-year history.
The first points weren’t posted until the 41st minute after both sides had players held up over the line.
WARATAHS MELT IN LAUTOKA
The Fijian Drua continued the NSW Waratahs travel woes with a sapping 28-14 win in Lautoka on Saturday.
Unbeaten in five home games, the Waratahs remain winless on the road in 2025 and have suffered nine straight away losses for the first time since 1996-97.
Already without Wallabies forwards Taniela Tupou, Angus Bell and Rob Leota, and still without sidelined skipper Jake Gordon, the Waratahs lost three more players to injury in the steamy conditions.
NSW also conceded a penalty try after the fulltime siren to miss out on a precious bonus point as the Drua extended their unbeaten record at home to eight matches.
O’CONNOR STARS FOR CRUSADERS
Former Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor delivered the desired result for his Crusaders team-mates in their 25-22 win over Auckland’s Blues in Christchurch on Friday.
The two teams were tied at the full-time siren but a scrum penalty allowed O’Connor to kick the vital penalty from just under 40 metres out in rain.
His performance off the bench for the Crusaders this season has some calling for a possible recall to the Wallaby team as the British and Irish Lions tour draws closer.
- The Chiefs have moved to top of the competition after Saturday’s 46-10 home win over the Highlanders in a NZ derby.
