The Western Force secured their second win of the season with a dramatic two-point victory over Fijian Drua in the Round 5 Super Rugby Pacific match at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.
Centre Bayley Kuenzle proved the hero after the siren, with his 83rd minute penalty goal after 23 phases sealing a crucial win for the Force on the road.
The Force braved a frantic opening to proceedings in muddy conditions to open the scoring through former All Black Jeremy Thrush.
The veteran lock powered over from a rolling maul set-piece play in the 18th minute for his 11th career Super Rugby try. Ian Prior converted to give the Force a seven-point lead after 20 minutes (0-7).
Prior added a penalty goal five minutes late to extend the Force lead to 10 with 25 minutes played.
Drua fought back to curb the Force’s early scoreboard pressure to register their first try of the match through winger Vinaya Habosi in the 32nd minute. However, Drua were unable to convert, with the score reading 5-10 in favour of the Force.
An action-packed end to the first half followed, with Selestino Ravutaumada racing over the line, but a knock-on was judged to have occurred in the build-up to deny a second Drua try.
Ollie Callan was shown a yellow card following repeated team infringements from the Force, as the siren sounded in the 40th minute. Teti Tela scored the resulting penalty goal to see the Force take a two-point lead into the break (8-10).
The back and forth nature of the game continued in the second half, with the Force scoring their second of the game despite the numerical disadvantage. Fergus Lee-Warner’s quick thinking at the breakdown following Jake Strachan’s run allowed the lock to dot the ball down two minutes after the restart, which Prior converted to make the score 8-17.
The Drua responded swiftly with another try at the 44 minute mark. Kalaveti Ravouvou broke the line with a barnstorming run, which was eventually finished off by Frank Lomani. Tela successfully converted to narrow the Force advantage to just two points again.
The Fijian side took the lead for the first time in the match following a successful penalty goal from Tela after 55 minutes (18-17).
The Force looked to have regained the lead through the outstretched hand of Tim Anstee, but the former Australian 7s representative was denied after Richard Kahui was judged to have illegally dived on Tela on the ground in the build-up (18-17).
High drama ensued in the final stages, with the Force’s never-say-die attitude on display once again.
With possession changing hands frequently, the Force pushed hard for a win and were rewarded with a penalty goal after the siren to win the game. Up stepped Kuenzle, who showed fantastic composure to slot straight through the sticks to secure the Force’s second win of the season (18-20).
Congratulations to debutant Bo Abra, with the 21-year-old prop making his first Super Rugby and Force appearance. His debut comes after recovering from a serious leg and ankle injury sustained in July last year.
The Force now return home to Perth for a Round 6 Super Rugby Pacific blockbuster with the ACT Brumbies on Friday, 25 March.
Scorers:
Fijian Drua: Tries: Vinaya Habosi (32’), Frank Lomani (44’). Conversion: Teti Tela. Penalty Goals: Tela (41’, 55’).
Western Force: Tries: Jeremy Thrush (18’), Fergus Lee-Warner (42’). Conversions: Ian Prior (2). Penalty Goals: Prior(25’), Bayley Kuenzle (83’).
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