Waratahs v Force 13 March 2022

[SNOB]

Going to very hard to show any enthusiasm for the rest of the season after this performance. Last week was disappointing but this has been pathetic.

[slomo]

2 take aways from today's game 1. The Godwin experiment isn't working 2. Prior should be starting...

[shasta]

They were a shambles. But to play so badly & come back to take the LBP while still not going well is a plus. Hard game next week back at Leichardt again.

[todd4]

That was very disappointing. Far too many mistakes. Thank god Ravi had the weekend off.

[todd4]

2 take aways from today's game 1. The Godwin experiment isn't working 2. Prior should be starting...

Agree on both points.

[andrewM]

Whilst the 1st half was terrible, the second half was..not so terrible. Whilst we were terrible at converting territories to points, I just felt that the ref reinforced the theory of the tabs are a 'protected species' with a penalty for collapsed scrum they were visibly responsible for and a something at the back of a maul that they collapsed..both at key points when we were deep in their territory

[shasta]

Another plus was Ready putting in a 60 minute shift and going OK. Maybe lucky not getting called for the clean out on the bloke who went off after a knee hyper-extension.

[jargan83]

I turned it off when we put that penalty kick into touch in goal.

[Chopper1]

Too many penalties I heard.

The 4 converted penalties in the last 15 mins of the first half cost us the game..

[todd4]

I turned it off when we put that penalty kick into touch in goal.

His earlier penalty kicks for touch were a tad conservative and I was thinking why doesn't he try to chew off more ground. Careful what you wish for I suppose.

[.X.]

First up, I say this with an open heart. I love you guys. I really do.

Why can't we say we got outplayed by a better team on the day?

We held the Tahs scoreless in the second half.
We got the bonus point.
Reddy had a better game off the bench(probably his best game for us since he signed).

ALSO

I got to watch the Western Force on the big screen in my shed. Against a team I hate but - I respect the comeback that they have made since last year.

I don't think that we need to replace the Captain or the Coach. As the experts on the SOB Facebook page are saying.

OK - we lost, it's happened before -it's quite possible it will happen again.

I won't be changing the decorative theme of my shed anytime soon.

Go the Force.

[volvo]

First up, I say this with an open heart. I love you guys. I really do.

Why can't we say we got outplayed by a better team on the day?

We held the Tahs scoreless in the second half.
We got the bonus point.
Reddy had a better game off the bench(probably his best game for us since he signed).

ALSO

I got to watch the Western Force on the big screen in my shed. Against a team I hate but - I respect the comeback that they have made since last year.

I don't think that we need to replace the Captain or the Coach. As the experts on the SOB Facebook page are saying.

OK - we lost, it's happened before -it's quite possible it will happen again.

I won't be changing the decorative theme of my shed anytime soon.

Go the Force.

Totally agree X. Just was not our day. Even the great All Blacks have off days (see Optus stadium 2019). That said, next week we have to get the basics right. Those basic errors killed us in the first half and let them run away with the game.

[shasta]

I won't be changing the decorative theme of my shed anytime soon.

Go the Force.

Great sentiments, X. The folks at Footy Tips are not so generous, though. They have decided to punish disloyalty by awarding winning tip points to those who stayed true. And remember - bloody Gunny - the judges' decisions are FINAL and no correspondence will be entered into.

[Jules]

First up, I say this with an open heart. I love you guys. I really do.

Why can't we say we got outplayed by a better team on the day?

We held the Tahs scoreless in the second half.
We got the bonus point.
Reddy had a better game off the bench(probably his best game for us since he signed).

ALSO

I got to watch the Western Force on the big screen in my shed. Against a team I hate but - I respect the comeback that they have made since last year.

I don't think that we need to replace the Captain or the Coach. As the experts on the SOB Facebook page are saying.

OK - we lost, it's happened before -it's quite possible it will happen again.

I won't be changing the decorative theme of my shed anytime soon.

Go the Force.

They definitely didn’t play with same intent as First few matches and we have been talked up so maybe expectations (well mine anyway) were getting ahead of themselves. I love the Force and am just desperate for them to do well 🤷*♀️. I’ll be in front of my tv next week though and at the match the week after! So yes go Force..

[.X.]

Round 4 - Super Rugby Pacific

Force fall short against Waratahs

The Western Force suffered a 22-17 loss to the NSW Waratahs in the Super Rugby Pacific Round 4 clash at Leichhardt Oval.

A second-half fightback was not enough for the away side, with captain Feleti Kaitu'u disappointed with the result but pleased with the attitude shown by the group.

"I'm really proud of the resilience that the boys showed to stay in the fight, but as a collective, we weren't good enough," Kaitu'u explained.

The Force started brightly and were rewarded for their early dominance of possession, with Manasa Mataele racing over for his first try for the club eight minutes in.

The Fijian international pierced the Waratahs' defence with a line break and crossed over in the far-left corner. Jake Strachan made no mistake with the conversion to open up a seven-point lead (0-7).

The home side fought back and swung the momentum with a try to Charlie Gamble from the rolling maul in the 16th minute. However, Will Harrison was unsuccessful with the conversion to leave the score at 5-7 in favour of the Force.

The Waratahs then hit the front through the boot of Harrison, courtesy of a penalty goal in the 20th minute (8-7).

Harrison added a further three penalty goals from close range and scored a try on the stroke of half time after a team penalty for repeated infringements saw Kaitu’u shown a yellow card in the 38th minute. The Waratahs took a 22-7 lead into the break.

The Force responded positively in the opening stages of the second half forcing the Waratahs into a string of penalties and spending considerable time in the Waratahs 22. However, they were unable to turn their attacking pressure into points.

Persistence from the Force was finally rewarded in the 72nd minute, with replacement prop Harrison Lloyd powering over for the first try of his Super Rugby career. Replacement scrum-half Ian Prior successfully converted to close the gap to 22-14.

The Force's determination continued to the very end, with Prior adding a penalty goal after the final siren, but it was the Waratahs who claimed the spoils with a 22-17 win.

The Force earned a losing bonus point to sit in eighth place on the ladder with seven points.

Next up, the Force take on Fijian Drua at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday, 19 March.

Scorers:

NSW Waratahs: Tries: Charlie Gamble (16'), Will Harrison (39') Penalty Goals: Harrison (4)

Western Force: Tries: Manasa Mataele (8'), Harrison Lloyd (72') Conversions: Jake Strachan, Ian Prior. Penalty Goal: Prior.