Match Details
| Western Force |
VS |
Brumbies |
|
29 |
Kick off times:
7:05pm
(Local) Fri 16 May
9:05pm
(AEST) Fri 16 May
|
22 |
|
The Western Force will finish the Super 14 season as the second best Australian team after beating the Brumbies 29-22 in a thriller at Subiaco Oval on Friday night.
It was an attacking and entertaining affair with both teams scoring four tries and each having control of play for significant periods, but the Force's 29 straight points saw them beat the Brumbies' 22 straight.
Laurie Fisher's 50th and final game as Brumbies coach got off to a dream start when his side raced to a 22-0 lead after four tries in the first 26 minutes, but it quickly turned sour when the Force scored four tries themselves either side of half-time.
Francis Fainifo (two), Mark Gerrard and Adam Ashley-Cooper all crossed for early tries for the Brumbies on the back of tremendous work from Christian Lealiifano, Stirling Mortlock and George Smith.
Mortlock was only able to convert one of them, though, and that would prove crucial.
The Force didn't score for 32 minutes before 17-year-old James O'Connor got them on the board before half-time. After the break, Troy Takiari, Giteau and Chris O'Young added tries, and Giteau a penalty, to put the Force up 29-22 with 16 minutes to go.
The first try of the game came inside two minutes when Fainifo got the first of his career after he got on the end of a very clever chip kick from Lealiifano and then the Brumbies left wing strolled through the Force defence.
The Brumbies continued to surge with Gerrard crossing for another try inside six minutes. Lealiifano again set it up with a terrific ball to George Smith, who got it to Gerrard who then had no problem finding the line.
With 18 minutes gone, the Brumbies crossed yet again and after not having any tries in his career coming into the game, suddenly Fainifo had two. This time it was after a good pass from scrumhalf Patrick Phibbs to Mortlock, who showed great hands to get it on to Fainifo.
The Brumbies didn't stop there either and when Ashley-Cooper scored a try at the 26-minute mark they had the four-try bonus point in the quickest time of any team this season. Ashley-Cooper got in after another superb pass from Smith to put the Brumbies up 22-0.
The Force eventually stopped kicking too early and giving the Brumbies the ball straight back and it began to pay off. The increased possession led to O'Connor crossing for his first try after O'Young set him up nicely. Giteau made the conversion to see the Force trail by 15 at half-time.
The Force made it two tries in a row just five minutes into the second half when Tatupu crossed after some tremendous lead-up play by O'Connor, Giteau and Haig Sare.
Three minutes later and the Force were right back in the contest when Giteau turned it on to score a try and when he converted, the margin was just three. Giteau's step was simply too much for the Brumbies defence and he strolled through to the try line.
Just short of 60 minutes in and Gerrard made a terrible mistake when he didn't take the scrumhalf pass cleanly, was chased down by Matt Hodgson and from the turnover, O'Young crossed for a try.
Giteau made the conversion and the Force led 26-22 to hit the front for the first time. He then also converted a penalty to give the Force the match-winning lead of 29-22.
Western Force 29
Tries: O'Connor 1, Tatupu 1, Giteau 1, O'Young 1
Conversions: Giteau 3
Penalties: Giteau 1
ACT Brumbies 22
Tries: Fainifo 2, Gerrard 1, Ashley Cooper 1
Conversions: Mortlock 1
@Subiaco Oval, Perth; 16/05/08. Crowd: 21,350
