A try-scoring double for Ma'a Nonu and some late heroics by James Broadhurst and Cory Jane earned the Hurricanes a dramatic 34-28 Super Rugby victory over the Western Force in Palmerston North on Friday night.
Nonu bagged a try in each half but it was the surge in the final 10 minutes that proved to be the winning of the match as they overturned a 28-20 deficit as first Broadhurst then Jane crossed the whitewash to give Victor Vito a win in his first start as captain.
For a long period it looked like the Hurricanes would come up just short but with Piri Weepu barking instructions in the second half and Andrew Hore bolstering the pack in the final quarter they came away with the morale-boosting win and bonus point.
At half-time the Hurricanes trailed by eight points and it was nip and tuck for most of the second spell until Jane grabbed the match-winning score with five minutes to go.
The Force had looked to have got the match sewn up after tries to Rory Sidey, Cameron Shepherd and Ben McCalman, while Shepherd also added 13 points with the boot but it wasn't to be and the men from Perth had to settle for a solitary bonus point.
The Hurricanes overcame the early departure of wing Andre Taylor, who pulled up lame inside the opening few minutes, and a Shepherd penalty to score a nicely-worked try on 12 minutes.
It was a glimpse of what might have been for the home side had injuries not played such a big part in their season.
A sharp run by Chris Eaton got the Force backpedalling and some slick inter-play between Nonu, Hosea Gear and Conrad Smith put Nonu over by the posts.
After a shaky start, where he missed a penalty kick to touch, Cruden settled his nerves with the conversion.
The Force's game plan early on was simple and produced the points as Shepherd, James Stannard and Patrick Dellit constantly plugged the corners.
It forced the Hurricanes to play their way out of their own half and it was only a matter of time before they gave up the penalty.
Jack Lam was called offside by referee Glen Jackson, in his first Super Rugby match in charge, and Shepherd drilled over the penalty.
A few minutes later and Sidey was diving over the line for the Force's first try after David Smith had scrambled his way almost to the Hurricanes try-line.
The ball was spun wide, with a lovely floated pass by Shepherd, giving Sidey the space he needed to dive over in the corner. The Force fullback added the conversion.
Cruden closed the gap with a penalty on 25 minutes but it was the visitors who took charge after that.
Shepherd's try nine minutes before the break was the product of good patience and ball retention by the Force as they worked their way up field.
Nathan Sharpe eventually powered his way between Broadhurst and Neemia Tialata. The ball was recycled out to Stannard and his smart inside pass put the Force fullback clean through, but he couldn't add the conversion.
The Hurricanes hammered away at the Force line in the dying stages of the half but the visitors defence held firm to give them a reasonable buffer heading into the second half.
Weepu was introduced after the break and he marshalled his troops immediately.
Gear made