Hurricanes assistant coach Chris Gibbes said they loved playing in Napier and were excited about the Force opting to play the game there. It would allow several Hawke's Bay players to play in front of their friends and families.
“It's a good surface [at McLean Park], it's a good place to play and the Force are in good form so we just want to make sure we get it right.”
The game would be another step in the side learning from their last performance and taking that into their next challenge and applying it. If they got that right, results would come.
"You can't get hung up on where the ladder is after round two and I think one of the key things for us is making sure we nail every opportunity," he said.
Gibbes said one of the pleasing aspects of their win was the improvement in defence, something they needed to work on after conceding 48 points to the Waratahs a week earlier.
"The one area we have got to work hard at is not letting them back into the game after big moments," he said.
There was also the continuing aspiration of playing out an 80-minute game.
Gibbes said while the Australians hadn't had success, there was no lack of physicality in their play. Everyone had said Super Rugby Aotearoa was physical, he said, but the Australians were right up there.
"You've got to be accurate around running lines, around your clean. You've got to be really accurate or else they'll be into it, and I think that's one of the things that's shown us up," he said.
Gibbes said the strength the side had in its hooking options with All Blacks in Dane Coles and Asafo Aumua and Ricky Riccitelli was a privilege.
Coles' leadership role was important, and Aumua was growing into that space, and while mainly being used as a substitute at the moment, he would get his chance to start, he said.
Aumua said things were going well in his game, he was getting a good amount of game time, and he looked forward to coming off the subs' bench and doing his job and finishing for the side.
While he wasn't getting the starts, he wanted to make the most of the playing time he got to show what he could do.
Sharing the try-scoring honours with the side with wing Julian Savea (they have five each) was down to his being able to make the most of field position. In his case, that's around five metres out from the line.
"I don't have to run as much as the Bus, I'm just off the maul, it's pretty easy for me," he said.