The Western Force and Hurricanes have produced a Super Rugby Pacific first in Saturday's thrilling 17-all draw at HBF Park.
A pulsating 90 minutes came to its dramatic conclusion with Reuben Love's drop goal attempt on the final play shaving the left upright and sailing away, mirroring an earlier 51m penalty goal attempt from Ben Donaldson.
Watch every game of SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
Both sides had plenty of chances - both in regular time and Super Point - with two-try Hurricanes flyer Fehi Fineanganofo outstanding and tireless Force flanker Carlo Tizzano going blow for blow with All Black openside prospect Du'Plessis Kirifi.
Yet neither side could land the killer blow with the hosts' 87th minute drop goal attempt being charged down and the visitors' failing to ice an 89th minute hands play down the right flank before Love's near-miss.
'Canes fullback Callum Harkin will also be left to rue a golden opportunity in the 54th minute when he turned down a straight run inside the corner post and looked to pass inside to Cam Roigard but failed to hit his mark.
Force tighthead Tom Robertson was outstanding with three scrum penalties and 14 tackles (no misses), Harry Potter and Mc Grealy excelled out wide while skipper Jeremy Williams and locking partner Darcy Swain shone once again at line-out time.
"They're a hell of a side and we're a hell of a team as well, really proud of the boys' effort," Tizzano told Stan Sport post-game.
"We had a couple of injuries, BPA went down in warm-up, so just that resilience of the group makes me really proud.
"We were all saying before (Super Point) just do the simple stuff well, nothing fancy and that's what we're about as a team.
Harkin told Stan Sport post-game the result "felt like a loss".
"There was a moment there were a could've done a better job but i guess that why we have work ons.
"We'll look at that, where we can be better … and move on."
It was the Hurricanes who opened the scoring in the 11th minute when winger Fehi Fineanganofo avoided Harry Potter's ankle tap and busted through Donaldson's tackle to touch down in the corner.
The visitors' joy was short lived, with comeback kid Bayley Kuenzle marking his first match of the season with a try four minutes later.
Kuenzle, who was cut down by a serious knee injury last July, was mobbed by his Force teammates upon scoring the try.
Wallabies flanker Tizzano was causing all sorts of problems for the Hurricanes at the breakdown, and his sizzling run in the 36th minute gave the Force excellent field position.
The home side capitalised, tiring the Hurricanes out with phase after phase close to the line before Nic White fired out a double cut-out pass for fullback Grealy to touch down in the corner.
The 14-5 half-time lead was a handy one, but the Force's sloppy start to the second half cost them dearly.
Error after error gave the Hurricanes the field position they needed for Harkin to slice through two Force defenders and score in the 48th minute.
Harkin would've had another if not for his aforementioned blunder but the Hurricanes would reclaim their lead through Fineanganofo, who bounced off tacklers White and Grealy before racing to the line and putting his side ahead 17-14 with 17 minutes to play.
Force winger Harry Potter sent a scare through the camp when he cannoned into a big camera in his desperate bid to chase down his own kick.
Potter was able to recover from the heavy collision, and Donaldson kept his cool a short time later to level the scores and send it into Super Point.
Both sides had a chance to win it, but the draw marked a fair result in what was an even contest.
The Force would have gone up to fourth with a win, but the draw at least lifted them from sixth to fifth.
And in an extra consolation, losses for the Blues, Waratahs, Moana and Highlanders over the weekend marked good news for their quest for a maiden finals berth.
WESTERN FORCE 17 (Kuenzle, Grealy tries; Donaldson 2 cons, pen) draw HURRICANES 17 (Fineanganofo 2, Harkin tries; Harkin con)
FORCE (1-15): Marley Pearce, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams (c), Darcy Swain, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano, Vaiolini Ekuasi; Nic White (vc), Ben Donaldson, Bayley Kuenzle, Hamish Stewart, Sio Tomkinson, Harry Potter, Mac Grealy
Replacements: Nic Dolly, Atu Moli, Josh Smith, Reed Prinsep (vc), Will Harris, Henry Robertson, Max Burey, George Poolman
HURRICANES (1-15): Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua (co-c), Tyrel Lomax, Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Brad Shields (co-c), Du'Plessis Kirifi (co-c), Peter Lakai, Cam Roigard, Ruben Love, Fatafehi Fineanganofo, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Bailyn Sullivan, Ngatungane Punivai, Callum Harkin
Replacements: Raymond Tuputupu, Tevita Mafileo, Pasilo Tosi, Zach Gallagher, Brayden Iose, Ereatara Enari, Riley Higgins, Billy Proctor
Referee: Damon Murphy
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Markey, Jordan Kaminski
TMO: Graham Cooper
The Force's clash with the Hurricanes will be shown LIVE on Stan Sport and the Nine Network.
Coverage will be live and ad-free on Stan Sport, slated to start at 7:00 pm with kickoff expected at 7:35 pm.
The game will also be shown on free-to-air television on 9Gem, with coverage beginning at 7:00 pm
