Puncture found after rope breaks (9)
I believe the answer is:
perforate
'puncture' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'after rope breaks' is the wordplay.
'breaks' indicates an anagram.
'after'+'rope'='afterrope'
'afterrope' anagrammed gives 'PERFORATE'.
'found' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for perforate that I've seen before include "pass through hole" , "bore!" , "Puncture" , "punch" , "Make hole or holes through" .)