A Bo Abra try in the final five minutes set up a grandstand finish in the Armed Forces Round, but it wasn’t to be in front of a packed HBF Park, as the Force fell to a narrow 18-22 loss to the league-leading Blues.
Head Coach Tim Sampson was proud of the character and determination shown throughout the contest.
“We’re gutted because the game was there for us, and we deserved it,” Sampson explained.
“There was a group of men out there who were so brave and controlled that second half.”
Force started the match brightly, with fly-half Bayley Kuenzle firing the home side ahead with a penalty goal three minutes in following an offside call (3-0).
In-form winger Manasa Mataele then increased Force’s lead to eight, with Blues lock Sam Darry receiving a yellow card for multiple offside infringements just moments earlier.
Mataele received the ball on the left wing and raced over in the far corner for the first try of the match in the eighth minute (8-0).
The free-flowing scoring continued in the early stages, with Blues fly-half and All Blacks star Beauden Barrett narrowing the margin to five with a straightforward penalty goal in the 12th minute.
The travelling Blues hit the front in the 19th minute, with Barrett converting Darry’s close-range try (8-10).
Blues lock Akira Ioane touched over in the 21st minute, with AJ Lam adding a third try in the 29th minute. Barrett converted Ioane’s try as the Blues took a 14-point lead into half time (8-22).
Force prop Santiago Medrano was shown a yellow card after repeated infringements just two minutes into the second half as the scoring dried up.
The second half deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute, with Force lock Jeremy Thrush driving over the line to bring the scores to 12-22. A vocal Force crowd rose to their feet as the momentum swung their way.
The Force pushed hard and placed consistent pressure on the Blues defence. Persistence paid off, with Bo Abra crossing over for his first ever Super Rugby try to set up a dramatic final five minutes (18-22).
Despite a wave of attacks on the Blues defence with 26 phases after the siren, the Force comeback wasn’t to be, as the reigning champions claimed a four-point win.
It was certainly a performance to be proud of against the in-form team of the Super Rugby Pacific competition, with the Force keeping the Blues scoreless in the second half.
Congratulations to homegrown flanker and Force Fortescue Academy player Alex Masibaka who made his Super Rugby and Western Fore debut tonight.
Next up, the Force host the Crusaders in a blockbuster Round 12 clash next Saturday, 7 May.
Scorers
Western Force: Tries: Manasa Mataele (8’), Jeremy Thrush (62’), Bo Abara (75’). Penalty Goal: Bayley Kuenzle.
Blues: Tries: Sam Darry (17’), Akira Ioane (21’), AJ Lam (29’). Penalty Goal: Beauden Barrett. Conversions: Barrett (2).
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