Force blown away by Hurricanes

The Hurricanes, in yellow, proved too strong for the Western Force yesterday.

The points continued to flow in the Super 14s as the Wellington Hurricanes beat the Western Force 47-22. Tamati Ellison was the star of the show, creating three of his team's tries, including two for his fellow winger David Smith. "We were disciplined, we took our chances and we looked pretty good on defence and that really made the difference," Andrew Hore, the Hurricanes captain, said of his side who led 18-8 at the break before dominating the second half.

Nathan Sharpe, the Force captain, said: "We had a few guys making their debuts and a lot of guys who haven't played a lot of Super 14 at all, so it was a big task. But we know those guys can do the job for us." The game came only hours after the Waikato Chiefs' incredible win 72-65 at the Golden Lions. The 137 points and 18 tries scored were both Super 14 records, with the Chiefs' Richard Kahui and Lions' Wandile Mjekevu both scoring hat-tricks.

"One-on-one defence let us down a bit," said the Lions captain Cobus Grobelaar. Also yesterday, Pretoria Bulls, the defending champions, kept the run of high-scoring games going with a 50-32 win over the CA Brumbies. Morne Steyn scored 35 points (two tries, five penalties and five conversions) for the Bulls, who have scored 101 points in their first two games, although they have also conceded 66.

In England's Guinness Premiership, leaders Leicester secured their sixth consecutive victory by beating Gloucester 33-11 at Welford Road. Toby Flood kicked 18 points as the fly-half was given an easy ride as Leicester's pack dominated their opponents throughout the afternoon. The third-placed Northampton lost 13-6 at Harlequins while Bath won for the fourth straight time with a 37-13 success over an indisciplined Worcester.

Tom Wood, the Worcester flanker, was sent off in the 62nd minute following his second yellow card offence, and Bath coasted to a five-point maximum by scoring three tries after he departed. Joe Maddock's first-half double was backed up by touchdowns for his fellow wing Matt Banahan, scrum-half Michael Claassens and substitute back-row forward Jonny Faamatuainu, while centre Ryan Davis booted three conversions and two penalties.

Danny Cipriani is determined to end the season in style with Wasps before he bids English rugby farewell. The fly-half announced on Friday that he will join the newly-formed Australian Super 15 team Melbourne Rebels at the end of the season. But he is still determined for domestic and European success - starting with today's game with the second-placed Saracens, where a win could send them fourth.

"I can't tell you how much I want to finish this season on a high," he said. "That is the most important thing for me right now." [e-mail]