Super Rugby round 10
Force half Mathewson rues poor execution
April 20, 2013
Mark Reddish of the Hurricanes wins a line-out ball, Hurricanes v Western Force, Super Rugby, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, April 19 2013
Mark Reddish of the Hurricanes wins a line-out ball against Western Force © Getty Images
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Teams: Force | Hurricanes

Scoring against his former Hurricanes team-mates was small consolation for Western Force halfback Alby Mathewson after his side lost 22-16 in Wellington.

Mathewson's 20-metre dart off the back of a good lineout take was the highlight of the Force's attack as once again poor execution stymied other scoring chances.

"It was a set play because we saw how the Hurricanes defend there and it came off," said the Kiwi No.9. "We knew their nine flies [up in defence]. We saw it last week against the Blues and we've seen it in previous weeks. It was good work by our coaching staff."

Overall though, Mathewson was left frustrated though as his side could not turn good field position and possession into points - even when the Hurricanes were reduced to 14 men with James Broadhurst in the sin bin.

"The effort was there for the full 80 but the execution wasn't there. It's frustrating because I think we left probably two or three tries out on the field through basic errors," Mathewson said.

The Hurricanes proved too strong against a spirited Western Force in Wellington
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As they did in the win against the Crusaders last week, the Force looked to play the game in the opposition half and battled strongly at the breakdown, where the Hurricanes got on the wrong side of referee Nick Briant which resulted in Broadhurst's yellow card eight minutes from time.

"We had the same plan as last week. Put it down there, frustrate them, force them into making mistakes and we did that," Mathewson said. "But we couldn't convert. That's been a bit of an issue the whole year."

"It's a collective effort. Sticking to the systems and executing our plays whether it is pass execution or catching," Mathewson added. "It's almost there. It's a pretty inexperienced back line. We're getting better. The pleasing thing is we're creating opportunities, we're just not finishing them."

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