CATCHES win matches in cricket and on the rugby field the law of physics prescribes that tackles should define the contest.

A Western Force team that did everything to win its first match of the season at ME Bank Stadium last night can thus feel aggrieved that it was ultimately denied by the petty law interpretations of South African referee Jaco Peyper in a 14-10 loss to the NSW Waratahs.

Frankly, 18,000 passionate and loyal Force fans deserved better than a marginal scrum infringement then an offside giving NSW flyhalf Daniel Halangahu easy penalty kicks to give the Waratahs the lead midway through the second half.

There are many rugby grounds in the world where the crowd would have evaporated in the face of four defeats from their team and no points on the ladder.

Not the Force faithful, who returned in numbers last night and jeered referee Peyper for a sequence of minor infringements that cost their side.

In the closing stages of a fierce battle the Force were twice denied - first when replacement scrumhalf Chris O'Young surged over the line, only to be held up in the tackle by centre Rob Horne and flanker Dave Dennis.

Critically, the last points of the game was another penalty slotted by Halangahu for offside.
As the Force swarmed all over the Sydney side on the siren, a penalty kick (three points) was of no use as the Waratahs held a four-point lead.

There was little consolation in defeat for the home side that it clinched its first bonus point of the season, considering the Force lost a game it deserved to have won.

In contrast to last week against the Reds in Brisbane, this time the Force fronted up in one-on-one tackles, while also keeping its defensive structure to frustrate the Tahs' rhythm.

And on attack the Force borrowed a trick from the Reds that proved so devastating on the receiving end of the 50-10 drubbing last Sunday.

Playing the inside pass around the fringes to runners flying in on the blindside of the rucks and mauls kept NSW's defence hanging on by their fingertips.

And proving that Western Australians can jump, not to mention throw, hooker Ryan Tyrell found the mark in all of the lineouts bar one - a penalty infringement for closing the gap - after squandering 10 last Sunday.

It took some ingenuity from the Tahs to break the deadlock in the first half, with Halangahu changing the script with a subtle chip kick for former Force favourite Drew Mitchell to race through and score an easy opening try.

Just as Force heads were starting to drop, another crowd favourite, Scott Staniforth, stepped up to intercept a Berrick Barnes pass that he read like an open book.

Staniforth raced 50m to score a celebrated try to give his team a 10-8 half-time lead with a score that galvanised the Force and rattled the Tahs.

Ultimately, the Waratahs knew they were in a game and might even concede they were lucky to win it.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/for...-1225843299355