The Western Force’s 2025 finals hopes are officially over after going down 38-7 to the Fijian Drua at their home fortress in Lautoka in warm conditions on Saturday afternoon.
The Force needed victory, ideally with a bonus point, to remain in finals contention and were buoyed by a bright start highlighted by Sio Tomkinson’s third minute try.
But the Force failed to capitalise on their early dominance before the Drua found their groove with their expansive play to lead 17-7 at the break.
The Force gave up penalties and committed errors, which didn’t help their cause as the Drua ran away with victory, with back-rower Elia Canakaivata adding another two second-half tries as the hosts scored 38 points unanswered.
The result meant the Drua have won nine in a row in Lautoka, while it extended the Force’s winless run on overseas soil in Super Rugby to 12 games, dating back to 2022.
The Drua won all the key statistics with 579 metres gained to 282 along with 23 defenders beaten to nine. The Force conceded 17 turnovers and 10 penalties.
Force captain Jeremy Williams said: “I thought we started really well and then they gained the momentum and we couldn’t get it back. It was probably poor discipline and we turned the ball over too easily. Good sides like the Drua will make you pay and we did.”
The Force remain ninth on 22 points but mathematically now cannot make the top six – with the sixth-placed Blues to play the seventh-placed Moana Pasifika this afternoon - with one game to play.
The Force’s final game is next Saturday at HBF Park against the eighth-placed NSW Waratahs from 5:35pm, tickets available via Ticketmaster.
In captain Williams’ 50th Super Rugby game, the Force started well with Mac Grealy forcing a turnover, before scrum-half Henry Robertson laid off for Tomkinson to score. Debutant Alex Harford added the extras for a 7-0 lead.
The Force were on top early, with Williams’ run going within 5m before an untimely Robertson knock-on, while Will Harris was held up over the line not long later.
Robertson was binned on the quarter hour for not retreating as the Drua built pressure, yet the Force held their 7-0 lead until the 28th minute when Ponipate Loganimasi broke down the right, setting up Philip Baselala’s try.
Five minutes later, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula’s chip led to Iosefo Masi’s try, with the fly-half adding a penalty for a 17-7 half-time lead.
The Force came out after the interval with renewed energy, as Robertson and Titi Nofoagatatoa combined to force a turnover, but it was the Drua who scored the all-important next try, as Canakaivata stretched over.
Canakaivata scored again after 13 phases of Drua pressure and Selestino Ravutaumada compounded the Force’s misery after Leone Nawai’s kick led to an end-to-end try.
Fijian Drua 38
Tries: Baselala (28’), Masi (35’), Canakaivata 2x (50’, 65’), Ravutaumada (73’)
Conversions: Armstrong-Ravula 2/2, Muntz 3/3
Penalties: Armstrong-Ravula 1/1
Western Force 7
Tries: Tomkinson (3’)
Conversions: Harford 1/1
Penalties: Nil
Western Force Match Report, Powered by Altrad
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