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A three-try, 24-point burst in the first 15 minutes proved the critical passage of Saturday night’s Super Rugby Pacific fixture in Perth, as NSW Waratahs ran out 41-24 winners over Western Force.
On a dry and mild evening at HBF Park, perfect for running rugby, the Force were blown away early. Yet they ran hard, competed for the remainder of the game and ‘won’ long passages of both halves.
Yet the Waratahs’ early points blitz was too much to claw back for the home team, the Force left to rue their lack of defensive rigour early, and their lack of penetration given their later glut of possession.
“Seems to be the same story for us, unfortunately,” 150-game Force captain Kyle Godwin said.
“We have to find out what’s going wrong. You can’t win a game giving up 20 point leads. We have to take a good hard look at ourselves. We have to look at our training and the mental side of things.”
Asked if it was getting on his nerves to be conceding leads so readily, Godwin conceded it was ‘very frustrating’.
“We threw some attacking punches at the Waratahs but couldn’t quite penetrate their line. Credit to NSW,” Godwin said.
NSW captain Jake Gordon said defence was a pleasing element of his team’s win.
“Coming to Perth is always a tough one. We came out of the blocks really well. We got down their end and made the most of our opportunities.
“Our defence then held up against some incredible attack by Force. And we’re really, really happy with our defence,” Gordon said.
The Waratahs welcomed back their talisman, Michael Hooper, who took the No.7 from his fellow openside scavenger Charlie Gamble, who wore No.6.
Tane Edmed, a cross between Ed Sheeran and Tane’s dad Steve who played 136 games for Balmain Tigers, opened the scoring with a penalty goal from in front in the 5th minute.
Force then went successfully long over the back of a lineout before halfback Ian Prior went longer again – straight into the hands of Waratahs wingman Mark Nawaqanitawase, who bolted 60 metres to score.
Edmed turned provider when he scythed through a hole on the Force 40m line and picked up Lalakai Foketi, who positioned himself beautifully and crashed over under the posts.
By minute fifteen it was all the Force could do to hang on. Hooper picked up the Gilbert from the base of a ruck and trotted over under the posts, untouched, his body language suggesting that it was almost too easy.
Angus Bell was a factor in the tight, his big body like a mighty piston. His flat, hard, aesthetically-pleasing yet ultimately extremely forward pass was his sole aberration.
Force hit back with a fine and bustling backline play featuring the dynamic wing Manasa Mataele, fly-half Reesjan Pasitoa touching twice and doing plenty to plant the ball in traffic.
Byron Ralston of the Force tries to break through the Waratahs defence. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
Force found momentum. There were 26 phases. Waratahs defended like Spartans. Won a penalty for hands in a ruck. Exulted.
Not going down without a fight, the Force came again and again. They owned the second half of the first half. Richard Kahui ran straight angles, popped tidy pill, cleaned out. Gamble – Cheech Marin crossed with George Smith – denied them with a classic snaffler’s turnover.
And the Force still went to the sheds trailing by 17 points.
Minutes into the second half Tim Anstey crashed over for the Force from a lineout that begat a rolling maul.
Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki – a back of the rolling maul specialist – matched it up the other end. Edmed coverted and Prior did not.
Another lineout, another rolling maul that Force hooker Andrew Ready hid behind prior to peeling off and ploughing over. Prior made the goal and energised the local people.
But when Pasitoa was sin binned for a professional, if extremely blatant, foul for hands in the ruck, Tahs fullback Alex Newsome ran in two fine team tries and the match was sealed with 15 minutes to play.
“Force really struggled to execute off set piece,” Stan Sport analyst Emily Chancellor noted following the match.
“They really did rely on Mataele. But Izaia Perese was there every time and stopped him.”
Former great Tim Horan agreed.
“Force had 65 per cent of possession but had no line breaks,” he said.
“That’s what you need: guys to stand up and bend the line. Force lacked that pressure.”