A boilover was on the cards when Force fullback Dane Haylett-Petty scored a 44th-minute try to reduce the margin to just five points in front of 10,384 fans.

The Force had dominated field position and possession until that point, and it was only the Hurricanes' resolute defence that had kept the home side at bay.

But the Hurricanes ran in four tries within the space of 17 minutes in the second half to blow the game apart and secure the bonus-point win.

Inside centre Ngani Laumape scored a double, while scrumhalf TJ Perenara starred with a try and an assist.

The result means Australian teams are now 0-23 against NZ outfits this season.

The Kiwis can make it a regular-season whitewash if the Highlanders beat the Reds in Dunedin on July 14 and the Chiefs down the Brumbies in Waikato on July 15.

"I'm very proud of the effort the boys put in," Wessels said.

"The Hurricanes are a very good side, and we played with guts and determination.

"The frustrating thing was not being able to convert when we were inside their 22."

Force veteran Matt Hodgson will undergo scans after limping off in the 25th minute with a left calf injury.

Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd was disappointed with his team's effort, despite securing a valuable bonus-point win.

"You can't win games of football on 80 per cent possession and territory to the other fellas," Boyd said.

"We were lucky we got two or three quick tries from broken play to get the bonus point. But it was a long way from a complete performance."

The Force's mathematical chances of reaching the finals were extinguished before kickoff on Saturday when the Brumbies beat the Rebels 32-3 to wrap up top spot in the Australian conference.

And the Perth-based franchise was caught napping in the second minute when Hurricanes fullback Jordie Barrett made a break to set up Laumape for the opening try.

The Hurricanes are renowned for their attacking flair.

But the defending champions were on the ropes for long periods of the opening half as the Force threatened to cross time and again.

The Hurricanes seemed impenetrable at ground level, so the Force turned to the air in the 44th minute - with great effect.

Flyhalf Peter Grant unleashed a high bomb. And when three Hurricanes defenders clattered together in an attempt to mark the ball, Haylett-Petty scooped up the crumbs to touch down.

But the joy was short-lived, with the Hurricanes piling on four tries from the 55-minute mark up until the 72nd minute.

The Force dominated most of the key statistics, and Wessels questioned why the Hurricanes didn't receive a yellow card for committing a glut of penalties inside their defensive 22.

The story, Western Force talk 'fighting spirit' after giving Hurricanes a minor scare, first appeared on the Sydney Morning Herald.