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The NSW Waratahs surged into the Super 14 top four with a hard-fought 14-10 triumph over Western Force in Perth on Saturday night.
The Waratahs trailed 10-8 at half-time but regained the lead courtesy of two penalties from five-eighth Daniel Halangahu, who took over the kicking duties from the wayward Berrick Barnes after the break.
The Force attacked relentlessly in the final 20 minutes and were unlucky not to find the winning try, with a dogged defensive effort from the Tahs and some dubious calls from referee Jaco Peyper denying the home side on numerous occasions.
NSW’s fourth win of the season and third on the trot allowed them to leapfrog the Brumbies into fourth, while the winless Force remain rooted to the bottom of the table with just one bonus point to show from five games.
The Force started as rank $4.40 outsiders with TAB Sportsbet despite the game being played on their home turf of ME Bank Stadium.
The sides traded early penalties before Tahs winger Drew Mitchell, appearing against his former side for the first time, scored the opening try of the night in the 16th minute when he beat Scott Staniforth to Halangahu’s perfectly-weighted grubber kick.
Barnes missed the conversion and sprayed his second penalty of the night seven minutes later but worse was to come from the Tahs’ inside centre.
With the visitors on the attack, Barnes watched in horror as his pass was expertly picked off by Force winger Staniforth, who sprinted 60m to touch down unopposed under the posts.
James O’Connor’s conversion gave the Force a 10-8 half-time lead and Barnes almost gave up his second try of the night shortly after the break when Ryan Cross stripped him of the ball and sprinted towards the line.
This time, however, the Tahs’ defence was able to scramble back in time to diffuse the situation much to the relief of Barnes.
And the visitors hit the lead in the 56th minute when a penalty against the Force’s scrum allowed Halangahu to pop over the three points, with another penalty in the 64th minute extending the margin to four points.
Force flyhalf David Hill was held up over the line in the 69th minute and the home side couldn’t find the winner despite a number of promising attacking forays.
But the Force can find solace from the improved effort, with their line-out, which was badly exposed in last week’s 50-10 loss to Queensland, particularly impressive.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.