Preview: Hurricanes v Force

Injuries have hit the Western Force hard, and after the encouraging start by the Hurricanes on the North Shore last week, this Rebel Sport Super 14 clash should make it two from two for the home team.

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VENUE & TIME: Westpac Stadium, Wellington, Saturday February 20, 19.35 NZT.

HEAD TO HEAD: Played 4 – Hurricanes 3, Force 1.

LAST TIME: April 10, 2009 (Perth) – Force 27-28 Hurricanes.

LAST TIME AT VENUE: May 9, 2008 (Wellington) – Hurricanes 21-10 Force.

WALKING WOUNDED: The Hurricanes got through their first match with only one problem – a torn knee cartilage that will keep Hosea Gear on the sideline until around Easter at the earliest. Jason Eaton has only himself to blame for losing his place, as it was due to a breach of team protocols. The season just gets worse for the Force, and it's only two weeks old. Cameron Shepherd, one of the most experienced Force backs, is out for six weeks after injuring a thigh in the pre-match warm-up last week and Ryan Cross will be out for about the same length of time with a shoulder injury. Richard Brown (shoulder) was another ruled out for about six weeks, while his loose forward partner David Pocock will be gone for longer than that with a finger injury. Designated starting first-five Mark Bartholomeusz won't be back before next week, which means Sam Harris has another battle on his hands.

FORM:

Hurricanes:
Round 1: Beat Blues 34-20 (Albany)

Western Force:
Round 1: Lost to Brumbies 15-26 (Perth)

The Hurricanes did some things well in their opener at Albany, most notably keeping their cool despite a messy first half. After the interval, when the Blues led 20-12, the Hurricanes effectively shut the match down and scored 22 unanswered points, even if that tally comprised an intercept try and five penalty goals. Sound tackling and deadly goal-kicking (10 from 12; 29 points) were highlights. The Force, already beset with issues at 10, had to make do with Sam Harris, played out of position, in this key role and he struggled. While it was a tough ask, it's also a problem that won't go away for John Mitchell and, until he gets some sort of reliable answer, the Force will battle.

WHO'S HOT: Although the Hurricanes were a little disjointed, one always got the impression they knew what they were trying to achieve. Piri Weepu, now settled at halfback, played strongly and kicked some killer goals down the stretch. The rest of the backs showed glimpses of their true ability but little more. Up front Andrew Hore had his usual strong match, Michael Paterson impressed with a solid all-round display and the loose trio all worked hard. This week John Schwalger and Conrad Smith will each play his 50th match. While the Force worked hard and were not out of the contest until late in the piece, they were also behind almost all the way. James O'Connor had a strong match and landed five goals from six attempts, but asking him to be chief playmaker from fullback may be too tough an ask. As usual the Force got good service from its lose trio and the loss of Brown will hurt. Nathan Sharpe normally plays well at Wellington and he'll have to come up with a big one if his side is to remain in contention.

WE THINK: This didn't take long; we think the Hurricanes should win easily enough (10-15 points) and if they've got sufficient rust out of the system, a bonus point is not impossible. While the Force is not to be taken lightly we just can't see them winning on opening round form, especially with that ever-growing injury toll.

TEAMS:

Hurricanes: 1 – John Schwalger, 2 – Andrew Hore (captain), 3 – Neemia Tialata, 4 – Bryn Evans, 5 – James Broadhurst, 6 – Michael Paterson, 7 – Scott Waldrom, 8 – Victor Vito, 9 – Piri Weepu, 10 – Willie Ripia, 11 – David Smith, 12 – Ma'a Nonu, 13 – Conrad Smith, 14 – Tamati Ellison, 15 – Cory Jane.

Reserves: 16 – Dane Coles, 17 – Jacob Ellison, 18 – Rodney So'oialo, 19 – Karl Lowe, 20 – Tyson Keats, 21 – Aaron Cruden, 22 – Andre Taylor.

Force: 1 – Matt Dunning, 2 – Pekahou Cowan, 3 – Tim Fairbrother, 4 – Tom Hockings, 5 – Nathan Sharpe (captain), 6 – Ben McCalman, 7 – Matt Hodgson, 8 – Sam Wykes, 9 – Brett Sheehan, 10 – Sam Harris, 11 – Haig Sare, 12 – Josh Tatupu, 13 – Mitch Inman, 14 – Dane Haylett-Petty, 15 – James O'Connor.

Reserves: 16 – Ryan Tyrrell, 17 – Nic Henderson, 18 – Richard Stanford, 19 – Luke Jones, 20 – Chris O'Young, 21 – Stefano Hunt, 22 – Joelin Rapana.

REFEREE: Vinny Munro