Blues beat Force 42-32 in Perth thriller

Western Force 32-42 Blues, HIF Health Insurance Oval

The Western Force fell to a second straight home defeat, losing 42-32 to the Blues in a high-scoring Super Rugby Pacific clash in Perth.

Despite leading at halftime, the Force were unable to contain the visitors after the break as the Blues ran in four second-half tries to seal victory.

Blues strike first before Force respond

The Blues opened the scoring when prop Josh Fusitu’a crossed for the first try of the match, finishing close to the line after sustained pressure. Stephen Perofeta converted to give the visitors an early lead.

The Force responded through prop Harry Johnson-Holmes, who barged over in the 11th minute. Fly-half Ben Donaldson was flawless from the tee in the opening half, slotting three goals to keep the hosts in contention.

Perofeta added further points for the Blues as the contest swung back and forth, but Carlo Tizzano powered over after the halftime siren to hand the Force a 17-14 advantage at the break in a tense, see-saw opening period.

The second half swung firmly in the Blues’ favour. They increased tempo and accuracy, stretching the Force defence with sharper phase play and quicker ball. Perofeta orchestrated territory effectively, while the forwards gained dominance around the breakdown.

The Blues ran in four second-half tries, repeatedly capitalising on missed tackles and defensive spacing out wide. Each time the Force threatened to close the gap with their own scores, the visitors responded immediately to restore breathing space. Their composure under pressure and superior finishing proved decisive as the lead extended beyond a single score.

Although the Force managed two second-half tries and continued to compete physically, they were unable to contain the Blues’ attacking rhythm with Zarn Sullivan, Torian `Barnes, Cole Forbes and Josh Beehre all scoring tries. The visitors closed out the contest professionally to secure a 42-32 win and rebound from their narrow loss the previous week.

Team line up:

Western Force: 15 Mac Grealy, 14 Divad Palu, 13 George Bridge, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Bayley Kuenzle, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Nathan Hastie, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Jeremy Williams (captain), 5 Darcy Swain, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Tom Robertson

Reserves: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Misinale Epenisa, 19 Lopeti Faifua, 20 Kane Koteka, 21 Henry Robertson, 22 Max Burey, 23 Kurtley Beale

Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 Cole Forbes, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Pita Akhi, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Finlay Christie,8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i (captain), 6 Anton Segner, 5 Josh Beehre, 4 Laghlan McWhannell, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Joshua Fusitu’a

Reserves: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Che Clark, 20 Torian Barnes, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai