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Thread: One down, one to go for Force

  1. #1
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    One down, one to go for Force

    Nick Taylor The West Australian


    Western Force will be bristling with self belief as they head for round two of their Super Rugby South African tour against the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday night after their gutsy 23-16 win over the Cheetahs.

    The seventh win in a resurgent season equalled Force's best win record in 2007 and lifted them to fifth on the ladder.

    The win in Bloemfontein came in the face of overwhelming possession by the home side, and broke a three-game losing streak against the Cheetahs.

    Discipline, patience and determined defence, qualities often lost in the heat of battle in previous years, are now second nature but there is an old saying in rugby that forwards win games - backs just decide by how many points.

    And that was exactly how it was at Free State Stadium on Saturday night.

    The side was galvanised by an extraordinary performance from captain Matt Hodgson who, despite spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin, still took the man-of-the-match award.

    Inevitably, it was Hodgson who sparked the Force's first try, pilfering turnover ball that went through several pairs of hands and 85m before full-back Jayden Hayward touched down.

    And Hayward set his side on the road for the second try, intercepting the ball 65m out and, after several phases, winger Nick Cummins went over for his sixth try of the season.

    But it was Hodgson and the other seven forwards around him that laid the groundwork for the win, particularly in the scrum.

    The Force were able to contain the Cheetahs' spoiling tactic of not taking the initial impact on engagement.

    The scrum remained dominant in the later stages when coach Michael Foley brought on a new front row.

    "To get a result here is absolutely fantastic," Foley said.

    "We scrummed well, all of the forwards contributed to that. The Cheetahs have been very disruptive and caused a few problems for teams so it was good to get that bit right.

    "They have built a lot of penalties from hitting and pulling back at the scrum engagement. Once they milk that penalty the other team becomes a bit apprehensive on the engagement, stops pushing and they attack you.

    "You are damned if you do, damned if you don't, but our guys managed it well.

    "The referee was aware of that and also managed it well."

    Force prop Pek Cowan, a veteran of the dark arts of the front row, said the side had belief and trust in each other.

    "I felt we had dominance and a lot stems from that," Cowan said.

    "We composed ourselves, especially in the first half, to give ourselves the opportunity at the end.

    "The side has gone from belief to a trust in each other. There's a confidence now."

    Force fly-half Sias Ebersohn left the field with a knee injury and winger Dane Haylett-Petty picked up a groin injury.

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    Champion UNCLE BOOG's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wholetruth View Post
    The side was galvanised by an extraordinary performance from captain Matt Hodgson who, despite spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin, still took the man-of-the-match award.
    how casual and somewhat "bafoonish" was that bloke who handed over the MOM award!? he looked like he woke up in a gutter and borrowed a school boys tie!

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    Champion MI5_Dog's Avatar
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    has anyone seen the SMH's team of the week?
    it's almost all Force players
    I was gobsmacked!
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/r...512-384h2.html

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    Veteran Contributor hertryk's Avatar
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    How good is this

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    (Previously WFDS) WFDom's Avatar
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    I'm very unused to this feeling we have about our team at the moment. We're in dreamland. Feels like someone is gonna wake me up at any moment & me and my kids wil get the train up to the city to watch the round 3 game against the Rebels.

    7 wins! Just one to go Horan! Foley is a God!

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    Great game, Fucken battled right through to the 80!

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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by UNCLE BOOG View Post
    how casual and somewhat "bafoonish" was that bloke who handed over the MOM award!? he looked like he woke up in a gutter and borrowed a school boys tie!
    That being said, how good was it to see a MOM not come from the home team. I have seen far too many of them handed out to the best player in a soundly beaten team this year. It's particularly prevalent in Aussie teams where it is rarely man of the match, more of a "best player for us" trophy.

    I was very pleased with most of what I saw on the telecast, the commentators weren't annoyingly one-eyed and the officials seemed to be pretty fair across the board, we were lucky in some places, they were lucky in some places. All in all, happy to have the whole team go around again (not just the refs, but the telecast team and all)

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    C'mon the

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    Champion andrewM's Avatar
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    At home games I thought we only gave out MOM for the Force players? Very noble of the Cheetahs

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    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    The SA commentators are far and away the best imo, GIGS. They are informative, level-headed, and - as you say - refreshingly objective!

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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MI5_Dog View Post
    has anyone seen the SMH's team of the week?
    it's almost all Force players
    I was gobsmacked!
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/r...512-384h2.html
    Tahs had a bye,

    No real surprise that the SMH has fallen in love with the team that had a gritty away win, I would have expected more Brumbies in the team, since they had the more difficult opponent, but I can understand who was chosen, Aussie teams not performing well in the republic, Home teams winning more often than not this year, the Reds and the Rebels really stinking quite badly this week. It was really a two horse race for most positions wasn't it?

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    C'mon the

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    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MI5_Dog View Post
    has anyone seen the SMH's team of the week?
    it's almost all Force players
    I was gobsmacked!
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/r...512-384h2.html
    Call me cynical, but the Tahs had a bye...........

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    Quote Originally Posted by MI5_Dog View Post
    has anyone seen the SMH's team of the week?
    it's almost all Force players
    I was gobsmacked!
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/r...512-384h2.html
    Paul Cully is one of few with common sense. This week at least.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alison View Post
    The SA commentators are far and away the best imo, GIGS. They are informative, level-headed, and - as you say - refreshingly objective!
    And they were on to the Cheetahs' tactics of pulling back on the scrum engagement.

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  13. #13
    (Previously WFDS) WFDom's Avatar
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    Holy Sh!t. Can't believe we've equalled our wins record for a season and there's still 6 games left!

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    Great game, Fucken battled right through to the 80!

  14. #14
    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Wait till next year, when we'll get a GOOD start to the season!

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    C'mon the

  15. #15
    Veteran Contributor hertryk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alison View Post
    The SA commentators are far and away the best imo, GIGS. They are informative, level-headed, and - as you say - refreshingly objective!
    Have to agree Alsion...well worth staying up for.. I don't know whether my poor neighbours would agree however.. Saw them on Sunday and the comment "so the Force won again last night then!!

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