Force stay alive, just
DAVE HUGHES
5 May 2008


John Mitchell was so mentally drained by the helter-skelter, wildly fluctuating finish against the Chiefs he thought Matt Giteau’s final penalty had tied the scores and the Western Force’s bid for the finals was irredeemably over.

It was only when his assistants in the coaching box at Subiaco Oval started celebrating on Saturday night, he realised the Force had beaten the Chiefs 22-21 to keep alive their hopes, albeit on a pacemaker in the critical care unit.

The Force remain ninth but with four better-placed teams losing in an absorbing round 12, they go to Wellington knowing a win over the Hurricanes on Friday will set up a tense final two rounds.

However, they leave on Wednesday with three more players added to an already long injury list. Flanker Scott Fava has ankle ligament damage and is unlikely to play again this season, winger Nick Cummins has a broken bone in his lower leg and prop Pek Cowan dislocated his thumb so badly the bone poked through the skin.

The match at Westpac Stadium is the first of the round next weekend and should the Force continue their trend of derailing New Zealand teams, the pressure will soar on those above them, particularly the Brumbies and Blues, who face difficult away challenges, and the Stormers and Waratahs, who meet at Cape Town.

Only nine points separate the second-placed Waratahs and the Force, and just five — a bonus-point win — separating third from seventh.

The top four took on a new look, with the Hurricanes and Stormers bumping the Sharks and Chiefs from the play-off places.

Bookmakers have gone with the Waratahs, Stormers and Hurricanes to join the Crusaders in the finals, with the Chiefs and Sharks just missing out.

The Crusaders secured a home semifinal by beating the Sharks, who lost for the third time in a row on their Australasian tour. The Waratahs are in line to host the other semi, despite a dour loss to the Bulls in Pretoria, but can’t afford any more slip-ups.

Nor, with the Sharks waiting in Durban in the final round, can the Chiefs, who paid for their profligacy.

They butchered several tries and the radar in Stephen Donald’s usually reliable boot went haywire.

Coach Ian Foster was apparently so annoyed he declined to attend the usual post-game media conference.

Mitchell did and said the win enabled the Force to re-establish themselves with their supporter base after a mid-season form slump.