The Perth-based Western Force produced one of the upsets of the Super Rugby season when they beat the Queensland Reds 42-19 in the weekend\u2019s shortened eighth round.<\/p>\n
WELLINGTON, New Zealand(AP) \u2014 The Perth-based Western Force produced one of the upsets of the Super Rugby season when they beat the Queensland Reds 42-19 in the weekend\u2019s shortened eighth round.<\/p>\n
The Force, based on Australia\u2019s west coast, are the most remote and often the least acknowledged of Australia\u2019s four teams and wins over its east coast rivals have been rare.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s win was an inflection point in an inconsistent season.<\/p>\n
The Force began the season with losses at home to the ACT Brumbies and the Auckland-based Blues, had an away win over Moana Pasifika before a run of narrow losses to New Zealand teams the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Chiefs.<\/p>\n
With a win on Saturday, they move up to ninth place on the table, still 10 points behind the sixth-placed Reds. The win still provides an affirmation that they may be on the right track.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt keeps our fire going inside of us,\u201d Force captain Nick Champion de Crespigny said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got that belief of where we want to go. We want to be the first team from the Force to be in the finals. That\u2019s our objective.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been in a lot of games and haven\u2019t been able to seal it out. Key moments kept letting them back in. We wanted (Saturday) to have the complete performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nNo Lomax <\/p>\n
The match against the Reds was expected to be the first for the Force by former rugby league star Zac Lomax but he was pulled from the teamsheet at the last moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry about that,\u201d coach Simon Cron said. \u201cHe trained fully on Thursday but only got up to 80% speed. He\u2019s just a bit tight in his hamstring, maybe has got a very minor strain in there.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he\u2019s a power athlete, if we put him away down the edge he\u2019s going to sprint and it\u2019s just too high of a risk for him and for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nDrua on the road <\/p>\n
The Fijian Drua\u2019s inability to win away from home has shown up again this season, most starkly with their 69-26 loss to the Christchurch-based Crusaders on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Drua\u2019s appearances in the post-season would have been much more regular if they were able to collect the occasional win on the road.<\/p>\n
In the last three seasons, the Drua have lost 18 matches away from home and won none. At the same time, they have won 12 matches at home and lost six.<\/p>\n
The Drua have lost away matches this season to the New South Wales Waratahs, the Auckland-based Blues and the Crusaders while picking up impressive home wins over the table-topping Hurricanes and the ACT Brumbies.<\/p>\n
They return home to face the Force next weekend before playing the Brumbies and Chiefs on the road, hoping to lift themselves from 10th on the 11-team table.<\/p>\n
Head coach Glen Jackson said the Drua\u2019s inability to consistently apply pressure in defense was a key factor on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just didn\u2019t do things that we\u2019d wanted to,\u201d he said. \u201cI think defensively, we didn\u2019t come forward. Against a team as good as the Crusaders, full of All Blacks, we didn\u2019t get off the line, allowed gaps and we didn\u2019t work hard enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to live in the moment and we lost a lot of those key moments. We have to build on those good moments. The physicality was there but it was just taking those opportunities in the game that we needed to do more often.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFarewell Apollo <\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s match was the last the Crusaders will play at Apollo Projects Stadium, the \u201ctemporary\u201d stadium they have occupied since their previous home at Lancaster Park was destroyed in the 2012 Christchurch Earthquake.<\/p>\n
The Crusaders will now move to a brand new, roofed stadium which will be their home for years to come.<\/p>\n
Their win over the Fijian Drua was a suitable farewell: their 100th win at a stadium which may have lacked the amenities of many others in Super Rugby but became a crowd favorite.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it as a place that was created to give hope to our city and our region,\u201d said hooker Codie Taylor who has played all of his 150 matches for the Crusaders at the old stadium. \u201cI was part of the wider squad when the earthquake hit and I was part of that tough time the city went through.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe traveled for every game that season and then eventually we got a home ground. It became a place to bring hope and unify the city in a way. Rugby has done that down here. It\u2019s a place we love to play at. It\u2019s home.\u201d<\/p>\n