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Good Shepherd Guides Force To Upset
17/02/2007
Marc Hinton
John Mitchell's Western Force have pulled off the upset of the Rebel Sport Super 14 season, last year's wooden spooners toppling the heavily favoured Bulls 30-27 at their Loftus Versfeld stronghold in Pretoria.
Mitch's men came from 9-17 down at halftime to clinch victory with a spectacular try to prop Gareth Hardy a dozen minutes from the end that put their noses in front for the run home.
And the Perth-based Australian side, who had just one win in their debut 2006 season, then clung on superbly over the closing minutes to twice repel Bulls' attempts at big drives for the line via the lineout.
Twice the Bulls could have levelled the scores with handy penalties as the closing minutes ticked down, but Victor Matfield was determined to go for the win and in the end paid the price as the West Australians' committed defence won the day.
The Force were guided to victory, their second in a row in the republic to put them temporarily at least on top of the standings, by a superb man-of-the-match performance from left winger Cameron Shepherd.
The Wallaby utility back completed a match haul of 25 points, scoring two of the Force's three second-half tries as they came storming back into the game, and adding three penalties and three conversions in a faultless display of goalkicking.
The Bulls, who have now lost two of their first three matches, would have been stunned by the result. Back-to-back semifinalists the last two years, they consider Loftus a home fortress and must have been banking on collecting winning points against Mitchell's sophomore side.
But they hadn't accounted for the steel of this much-improved side whom the former All Blacks coach has marshaled into an effective all-round unit.
The Bulls had looked to be cruising with a 17-9 halftime lead, tries to centre JP Nel and two conversions and a penalty for Morne Steyn answered only by three Shepherd penalties.
But as the second spell unfolded the Force, with halfback Matt Henjak in slippery form as he sparked that talented backline, refused to go away.
Shepherd's first try got them back to within a point early in the second spell, and his second to within four, at 23-27, as the Bulls had eased out to what looked to be a match-winning lead when big No 8 Anton Leonard powered over for a five-pointer that had given the home side a 27-16 advantage.
And then the stage was set for prop Hardy to grab the unlikeliest of tries, the big front-rower charging over in the corner as good continuity from the Force eventually wore down the Bulls defence. Shepherd's excellent sideline 67th-minute conversion stretched the lead to 30-27, and not even a late sinbinning for Force inside centre Junior Pelesasa could deny them their glory.
Mitchell, who took over the new franchise after losing his job as All Blacks coach, was rapt with a victory that reaffirms the progress being made in Perth.
"The guys had to be pretty steely tonight and stiff on defence because we had to absorb a lot of pressure," he said. "This is a player group who certainly play for each other."
Skipper Nathan Sharpe, who shook off a second-half knock to the head to lead the way home, said to win at Loftus proved the strides the Force were taking in 2007.
"I'm so proud of the boys," he added. "We could have let the game get away from us, but we dug in, came back and put the sword into them in the end."
Shepherd, who had a match that must have impressed Wallaby coach John Connolly, said there had been no shortage of resolve coming into the match. "We knew we had to put it together," he said, adding a vote of thanks for Kiwi kicking coach Daryl Halligan who has been helping him with his game.
"It's one of those things you try to concentrate on and I'm very happy the way it went tonight," he said of his perfect kicking effort.
The Force retuern to Perth to host the LIons next week, while the Bulls will look to get their show back on the road when they entertain the winless Chiefs in Pretoria.
Bulls 27: JP Nel 2, Anton Leonard tries; Morne Steyn 2 pen 3 con.
Western Force 30: Cameron Shepherd 2, Gareth Hardy tries; Shepherd 3 pen 3 con. Ht: 17-9.
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Was the wait worth it - Ya betta baby 
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