PERTH: The Western Force defended brilliantly in the face of a fierce comeback by the Canterbury Crusaders to secure an unlikely 16-14 victory in their Super Rugby match in Perth yesterday.
The Perth-based strugglers carried a 16-8 lead into the break and kept the seven-times champions scoreless for the final 23 minutes to capture only their third win in 18 matches.
The Crusaders’s defeat, following a tough tour of South Africa, was their fourth this season and leaves them with work to do to put their campaign back on track as the halfway mark approaches.
Flyhalf Tyler Bleyendaal, deputising for the injured Dan Carter, slotted two penalties after halftime to bring the Crusaders back within two points but that was as good as it got for the New Zealanders who struggled with handling errors on a muggy night at NIB stadium.
“That’s a great feeling. We knew we could do it,” Force captain Matt Hodgson said in a pitchside interview after his team notched their second win of the season.
“We’ve always had the belief. It’s not only good for us, it’s good for the whole of Perth.” Despite being dominated in terms of territory and possession, the Force made the most of their limited chances and stunned the Crusaders with a try in the third minute.
Capitalising on a mistake deep in defense, flyhalf Sam Norton-Knight burst past a clutch of players behind the 22-meter line and planted the ball under the posts.
Hooker Corey Flynn hit back for the visitors in the 20th minute with a barnstorming run down the left wing that set up lock Luke Romano who touched down in the corner.
Romano also grabbed the ball out of a ruck and lunged over a few minutes before halftime but was cruelly denied a second try by a television replay that showed fullback Israel Dagg had thrown a forward pass earlier in the move.
The Crusaders ramped up the pressure after the break and trailed by only two points when Bleyendaal slotted his third penalty in the 58th minute.
All signs pointed to the visitors marching to victory but the Force stood firm and rode their luck as the Crusaders repeatedly coughed up possession during a series of promising drives.
With the crowd of 16,000 reaching fever pitch, a small number of spectators invaded the playing surface in the frenetic final minutes and play was briefly halted.
The Force then made sure of victory by ripping the ball away from the opposition in a hotly-contested ruck to spark thunderous cheers from the home crowd.
