Western Force beat Drua but miss finals

Western Force 19-15 Fijian Drua, Perth

The Western Force’s hopes of reaching the Super Rugby Pacific finals officially ended despite a hard-fought 19-15 win over Fijian Drua in Perth.

The Force went into Saturday night’s match knowing that only a bonus-point victory would keep their slim finals chance alive. They managed to win the game, but they could not find the extra tries needed to stay in the race. The result left them six points behind the sixth-placed Queensland Reds with only one round remaining.

For the Force players, it was a painful victory. They had pushed hard late in the season, but this result confirmed that their charge would not be enough to deliver the franchise a maiden finals appearance.

Tizzano Gives Force Early Control

The Force made a strong start and took the lead in the 10th minute when Carlo Tizzano scored from a rolling maul. The early try gave the home side the perfect platform, but Fijian Drua soon grew into the contest.

The visitors responded in the 17th minute when Kitione Salawa powered over to level the match. Drua then moved ahead when hooker Zuriel Togiatama found space in the corner and crossed for their second try.

Drua played with energy and ambition throughout the first half. They made more metres, carried strongly and created more clean breaks than the Force. Their attacking intent caused repeated problems for the home defence, and they deserved their 12-7 lead at half-time.

Ekuasi And Lomax Turn The Match

The Force fought back after the break by using their scrum as a major weapon. In the 48th minute, they put Drua under heavy pressure against the feed, and another dominant scrum soon created the platform for No.8 Vaiolini Ekuasi to force his way over.

Kurtley Beale came off the bench in the 54th minute for his 186th Super Rugby appearance, moving him into outright third on the all-time appearances list.

Even while down to 14 men, Drua regained the lead through a penalty, making it 15-12. But the Force struck again in the 69th minute when Zac Lomax touched down in the corner after a pass from Mac Grealy. The pass appeared to drift forward, but the try was allowed to stand, putting the Force back in front at 19-15.

Late TMO Call Ends Bonus-Point Chase

The Force still needed two more tries to claim the bonus point and keep their finals hopes alive. Captain Jeremy Williams appeared to have scored in the 78th minute after Lomax challenged for a high ball, but the TMO ruled the try out for an earlier knock-on.

Replays showed the ball had come off the chest of Dylan Pietsch before Lomax gathered it, ending the Force’s best late chance. The home side kept pushing in the closing stages, but they could not find the tries they needed.

The Force still secured a brave win, but the mood after full-time told the real story. Their finals dream was over, while Drua’s own hopes had already been ended earlier in the day.