Western Force have risen into ninth spot and are firmly in the Super Rugby Pacific finals mix after Saturday night's crushing 48-10 bonus point win over Fijian Drua at HBF Park.
It equalled their second highest Super Rugby score and launched a late season charge for the top eight. The bonus-point win meant the Force jumped up three spots to ninth, just two points adrift of eighth-placed Drua.
The WA side scored six tries with fly-half Ben Donaldson faultless, scoring 23 points from six conversions, two penalties and a late try to cap a stand-out display.
The Force went into the game knowing nothing more than a win would do and they delivered, with the likes of Donaldson, Hamish Stewart and Bayley Kuenzle outstanding.
The hosts produced their third victory of the campaign and have a chance to push further when they face the Waratahs at HBF Park on Saturday (kick-off 5.35pm).
Coach Simon Cron was able to bring Wallabies experience into the starting line-up in the shape of scrum-half Nic White and second-rower Izack Rodda.
The duo were crucial in the win and another international, full-back Kurtley Beale, again showed his class injecting himself into the backline, showing deft hands and footwork and putting in some neat kicks.
Prop Harry Hoopert came from the bench midway through the second-half to make his first Super Rugby appearance in 708 days after a terrible injury run that saw him miss the 2023 season with an ACL injury suffered while playing for Australia A duty and a knee injury from 2024 pre-season.
The Force made a perfect start, captain Jeremy Williams making a sensational break before feeding winger Chase Tiatia within the opening minute.
They kept up their great start 13 minutes later with a well-worked line-out move, hooker Tom Horton and centre Hamish Stewart driving forward with flanker Carlo Tizzano crashing over.
Donaldson stretched the lead to 17 points with a penalty soon after.
The forwards crashed and bashed their way around the field in the first period. Their backs were light on their feet.
Their fast-moving defence was physical against the hard-running visitors and their control and ferocious ruck work, clean-outs and physicality denied the free-flowing Fijians possession.
At times it was chaotic and compelling as the Fijians fought their way back into the game on the back of a dominant scrum, fly-half Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula converting a long-range penalty just before the break.
After the break a hungry Fiji lifted the tempo, winning more of the collisions.
Consecutive penalties drove them deep into the Force half and winger Selestino Ravutaumada dived over in the corner. Converted.
More chaos reigned in opening salvos, with Nic White yellow carded for kicking the ball away after a Force penalty.
The Force were unable to finish off a Bayley Kuenzle intercept, the ball bounced like a pinball under the Force posts and White was sent to the bin before the Drua knocked on to give the home side some respite.
After all that the Force worked their way up field with 14 players, forced a five-metre scrum and ruck Michael Wells went over with his first touch after coming from the bench.
The try swung momentum back to the Force, their defensive line found composure and Donaldson stretched the lead to17 points with another penalty.
The fourth try came after No.8 Reed Prinsep charged into space and fed Lopeti Faifua to cross untouched.
The five pointers kept coming with Beale, Horton and Kuenzle combining for a lovely score with Donaldson slicing through, showed the Fiji defence a clean pair of heels, to ice the cake.
Force 48
Tries: Tiatia (1’), Tizzano (14'), Wells (55'), Faifua (68), Kuenzle (72), Donaldson (78)
Conversions: Donaldson (6/6)
Penalties: Donaldson (2/2)
Fijian Drua 10
Tries: Ravutaumada (43')
Conversions: Armstrong-Ravula (1/1)
Penalties: Armstrong-Ravula (1/1)
Crowd: 4,883 @ HBF Park
