Nearly 10 players went to the sideline as a result of head knocks, twisted knees and bleeding heads as the match resembled a fight night in a Brooklyn boxing den.
Players were knocked from pillar to post but, in the end when the rugby got in the limelight, the Highlanders triumphed 32-20 after the match was locked up 14-14 at the break.
As expected, the Force was a pesky opponent for a Highlanders side which was not quite on top form but did enough to come out the victor.
The home team showed some nice touches on attack and nearly got a bonus point near the end.
With all the stoppages, the game lasted more than two hours and, at one stage, the Force had to have a hooker on the side of the scrum as it simply had no players left.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph said he expected nothing less than a physical and commited effort from the Force, and that was exactly what happened.
"There was a lot of disruptions in terms of the match and the Force really took it to us. I was expecting it. I'm not sure the players thought they [Force] could conjure up an effort like that but they did,'' Joseph said.
The Highlanders had to do without first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga, who injured his groin in the captain's run on Thursday and did not take the field. He is unlikely to be back next week.
Prop Brendon Edmonds left the field in the first minute with a serious knee injury, fullback Ben Smith failed a concussion test, loose forward Elliot Dixon had a bleeding head right through the game and prop Daniel Lienert-Brown also had to do a concussion test.
Joseph said with all the injuries the side had to battle but did enough.
"In most of the physical play I thought we were outplayed so that is something we have to look at.''
He said the tenacity of the players shone as they hung in when things were not going well and showed some magnificent touches on attack.
As for all the injuries, Joseph said the game was just getting tougher.
"It is a physical game. I honestly do believe the game is a lot more physical now. The players are a lot more powerful and defences are organised, attacks are organised. It is a car crash.''
The worse injury appeared to be Force flanker Angus Cottrell, who took a blow to the chin and was stretchered off midway through the second half.
He was taken to hospital but was lucid after the game.
Winger Patrick Osborne looked as though he had scored a try which would have put daylight between the home side and the pesky visitor early in a second half which lasted more than an hour.
He went over in the corner following a cross kick from Hayden Parker, on the back of a blistering 50m run from No8 Liam Squire.
However, after a long examination, television match official Chris Wratt ruled no try and the Highlanders were still walking a tightrope.
But Osborne, who was into everything, broke the line with five minutes left to free replacement Jason Emery to score the clinching try.
The match started off for the Highlanders like an entree of cold fish pie mixed with mushy peas.
The Force came out of the blocks faster than an Olympic sprinter out of the East German programme while the Highlanders were still in bed .
Tries by fullback Dane Haylett-Petty and No8 Ben McCalman had the Highlanders 14 points behind after eight minutes.
Osborne got his side on the scoreboard after 16 minutes when the Highlanders moved the ball from the scrum and the Force ran out of defensive numbers.
Osborne then became provider as the Highlanders tied up the game up with a sweet team try just before the half-hour mark.
The big Fijian made a weaving run and then linked with fellow winger Matt Faddes.
Faddes shrugged off a couple of tacklers, passed to Aaron Smith who found Dan Pryor and the dreaded one went over to score.
The conversion from Hayden Parker tied the game up 14-14 at the break.
Super rugby
The scores
Highlanders 32
Patrick Osborne, Dan Pryor, Matt Faddes, Jason Emery tries; Hayden Parker 2 con, 2 pen, Marty Banks con
Force 20
Dane Haylett-Petty, Ben McCalman tries; Peter Grant 2 con, 2 pen
Halftime: 14-14
Crowd: 14,132
