The Western Force notched a club-record third straight victory with a gritty 22-12 Super 14 win over the often undisciplined Coastal Sharks at Subiaco Oval in Perth on Friday.
The result in front of a noisy crowd of 28 400 kept the Force right in the hunt for a finals berth in just their second season in the competition and confirmed their status as the leading Australian contender.
The Force climbed to second and have won five games, with two losses and a draw, while the Sharks have won six and lost their last two.
Two men down late in the game after Rory Kockott and Warren Britz were sin-binned in quick succession, the Sharks conceded a string of costly penalties and that enabled the Force to steady after being under pressure early in the second half.
The Force were led by star recruit Matt Giteau, who set up the game’s only try and was handed the kicking duties due to Cameron Shepherd’s right knee problem and responded by slotting 17 points, with five penalties and a conversion.
It was Giteau’s solo brilliance that enabled Shepherd, the leading points-scorer in this season’s competition, to cross for his sixth try of the season in the 33rd minute.
Giteau weaved through the Sharks’ defensive line, before handing off to Shepherd to score under little pressure.
When Giteau converted, the energised Force led 13-0 and the cause of the visitors was not helped by two early penalty misses by Ruan Pienaar.
However, the scrumhalf eventually found his range and converted two penalties to reduce the deficit to 13-6 at half-time.
Another early second-half penalty conversion by Pienaar and a marvellous drop-goal to Francois Steyn closed the gap to just a solitary point soon after the resumption.
However, the propensity of the Sharks to concede penalties — 11 in total — allowed the Force to steady and notch their third straight win for the first time in their short history.
In the 54th minute, the Sharks were penalised at the scrum and referee Lyndon Bray immediately marched them back 10m, allowing Giteau an easy steadying conversion.
Further penalty conversions to Giteau in the 63rd and 70th minute put the game beyond the reach of the Sharks.
The Sharks put plenty of pressure on the Force at times, but the defence of the home side was exemplary and ensured the visitors were unable to cross for a try. — AFP
