Force takes it up to lacklustre Crusaders

It finished in a thrilling 23-all draw but not before the Western Force stunned the Rugby community, with a pulsating performance against the Canterbury Crusaders at Subiaco Oval tonight.

Both teams entered the match at opposite ends on the points table, the winless Force up against the red hot Crusaders, who were on a 16-match unbeaten streak.

The kiwi-based team were short priced favourite at $1.01, while the Perth based Western Force were ranked outsiders at 13/1.

Melbourne’s Olympic Park hosted a pre-season clash between both teams, the Crusaders that night spared the fledging club a drubbing with a 28-6 final score line.

Round 11 of Super 14 however was a different story.

The Force got off to a great start and took the lead after eight minutes through star fullback Cameron Shepherd, the former Waratah calmly converted his own try.

The Crusaders hit back two minutes later through No. 8 Mose Tuiali’i, who crossed in the left corner. Daniel Carter’s conversion attempt narrowly missed, though the Force were dealt a blow with flyhalf Scott Daruda concussed, he left the field and took no further part in the game.

Replacement flyhalf Brock James ensured the locals went crazy with delight, in the 14th minute, when he charged through the sloppy Crusader defense. With the conversion from Shepherd successful, the home team amazingly led 14-5.

Handling errors appeared to take the gloss off the early lead, though tight knit defense by the Force held the Crusaders out.

Both teams traded penalty goals in the 20-minute period before half time. Force supporters were buzzing at the break, while coach John Mitchell passed on his words of encouragement ahead of what was set to be a huge 40-minute period.

The Crusaders dominated in the first half, the possession count in their favour 60-40%. Western Force managed to level the count, early in the second half, before the Crusaders first entry inside the 22-metre zone.

Denied a try by the video referee, the Crusaders persisted, however smart play from the Force saw South African referee Marius Jonker award a penalty, in the 57th minute, for offside. A subsequent goal attempt followed, and though Carter was successful, it let the Force off the hook.

The Force defense was tested again four minutes later, Leon MacDonald put winger Rico Gear into an overlap situation near the right hand corner. Gear, though, was bundled into touch by left-winger Digby Ioane.

A 66th minute penalty goal from Shepherd put the home team up 23-11. Prop Gareth Hardy’s attempts to slow down play backfired when he was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes at a crucial stage of the game.

MacDonald crossed the line, after the Force was caught off-guard in the tap restart that followed Hardy’s exit. Carter missed the conversion attempt, which left the game delicately poised at 23-16 with nine minutes to play.

Carter’s try assisting kick sat up for Gear to gather and score under the posts, though it needed the video referee confirmation after the Crusaders winger almost ran over the dead ball line.

Western Force, in the closing minutes, had two opportunities to notch their maiden victory. Haig Sare on both occasions with the line breaks.

The video referee controversially judged Sare had been tackled over the sideline before grounding the ball, while the second break was cruelly denied by a combination of offside and a knock on by the Force.

Force captain Nathan Sharpe, after the match said, “It’s not often you get an opportunity to put a team like the Crusaders away like that. The boys are gutted but it’s a great step forward for us.”

Crusaders captain Richie McCaw, when asked about the game said, “We were lucky to get away with a draw.”

A South African tour looms for both teams, the Force end their inaugural Super 14 season with a hat-trick of matches, while the Crusaders are scheduled for two matches before returning home for the final round match.

Next week, the Cats host the Western Force at Johannesburg in a wooden spoon showdown. The loser almost certain to collect the prize no team really wants, while the Crusaders tackle the Stormers in Cape Town.

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