Western Force will go into their SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific clash against leading Australian side Queensland Reds with renewed confidence after the record-breaking 52-15 win over Fijian Drua at HBF Park on Sunday.
After three losses the Force needed a good win in the Round 6 clash and they did it in style with a bonus point and sent records tumbling - their eight tries equalled the most they have scored in Super Rugby and the 33 first-half points were the most scored in an opening 40-minutes.
The Force will be looking to avenge the third-round heartbreak 28-24 loss when they take on the Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 4:35pm WST and live on Stan Sport).
Hooker Nic Dolly grabbed a first-half hat-trick against the Drua, both flanker Carlo Tizzano and winger Harry Potter scored doubles while playmaker Ben Donaldson grabbed a five-pointer to take his tally to 17 points.
The win, on the back of a powerful forwards display, jumped the side two places into sixth spot on the ladder and coach Simon Cron was pleased with the improved defensive effort as well as retaining the ability to score.
"The critical one was both sides of the ball in comparison to the last couple of weeks," Cron said.
"We've been able to score points, the key this week, we had more people on their feet, a bit of width in our defence and we stayed connected.
"We weren't sinking into dead rucks which allowed us to be more stable on the edges. It was pleasing.
"We started really well, kicked to the corners and the forwards did a great job. We built phase play pressure over time."
Cron said the stability of the forwards and the increased squad depth this season was crucial.
"It was critical for us to get go-forward ball," he said.
"The forwards did a great job, hard carries, hard cleans a little bit of skill play."
The powerful pack display helped fly-half Donaldson unleash runners and find good field position.
"Dono (Donaldson) plays some awesome footy for us but he's only as good as the players around him who help create that space," Cron said.
"He had a really good game. He got some good front foot ball."
The Force were hurt after the break when Fiji scored two five-pointers tries on the back of six straight penalties.
"We can't give away non-roll-away penalties and offsides," Cron said.
Captain Jeremy Williams said they had used a simple build-up to the game in training.
"We knew what we wanted to focus on," Williams said.
"We knew if we got our breakdown sorted and were really strict there and let Dono play on top that would give us the best chance.
"We did a really good job of that in the first half.
"First five, 10 minutes of the second half we slipped away a little bit but I was really happy with the way we gained momentum back and finished the second half."
The Force are next at home at HBF Park on Saturday 5 April from 4:35pm WST against the Highlanders. Tickets available via Ticketmaster here.
