The Western Force are hanging on to their dream of a maiden finals series after a fighting 19-14 win in Saturday night's Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific Round 14 clash with the Queensland Reds at HBF Park.
The Force were playing for their season and are back in the hunt for a top six spot with two home games against Fijian Drua and the NSW Waratahs ahead of them.
The victory gave them their first win-double this season leaving them six points out of the top six, moving up to ninth.
In a tough encounter the first-half ended with just one try apiece from flanker Carlo Tizzano in his 50th Force appearance and Reds backrower Joe Brial.
After the break Force full-back Mac Grealy won the race to touch down a loose ball and Tizzano grabbed a second from the more unusual spot on the wing.
Reds winger Tim Ryan grabbed a five pointer in between the Force pair with Force fly-half Max Burey and Reds No.9 Louis Werchon slotting two conversions apiece.
The fixture was the club’s first-ever zero2hero Charity Game with the Force and the WA-based youth mental health charity having come together with a three-year partnership.
But there was no charity given by either side in an often gruelling battle.
Both sides had early opportunities with the Force probing through the midfield in the opening salvos.
They were unstructured at times, when they held possession and territory had the Reds under pressure, but should have capitalised on a couple of chances.
The visitors fired a couple of warnings of their own, showing how dangerous they could be on the quick break.
The Force were happy to go to the set piece and turned down a couple of early penalties, going to touch instead.
And on queue, from a rolling maul on six minutes, Tizanno emerged from under a pile of bodies with the ball. Converted by Burey.
The Reds replied 15 minutes later when captain Harry Wilson stormed through the middle, was somehow stopped by Grealy, but after a couple of phases backrower Brial went over.
They then had back-to-back penalties of their own close to the line, tapped twice but were well held out by the Force.
When they looked certain to score Zac Lomax produced an unbelievable tap-and catch-intercept to keep them out.
The Reds then butchered a chance when centre Isaac Henry knocked on over the line when it seemed easier to score.
With plenty riding on the game, the Force needed to win more of the contact battle after the break to get wingers Lomax and Dylan Pietsch into space.
Pietsch nearly did it all on his with a tackle strip and great run but the Force re-took the lead when a Hamish Stewart cross kick sailed over Lomax and Ryan and Grealy was first to the touch down. Converted.
The Reds stepped up the pressure and after a couple of penalties and being held up over the line they went wide quickly where Ryan strolled over in the corner.
The Force hit back with a multi-phase game, showing nice hands to get the ball to space and waiting on the wing was Tizzano. The conversion hit the post.
The Force turned up the heat and scrum half Nathan Hastie was beaten by the bounce as he chased down a Nic Dolly kick, he was then unable to grab a pass from barnstorming No.8 Vaiolini Ekuasi that would have put him in the open.
With points at premium the Force needed to tie down the game and keep the visitors pinned behind their 22-metre line.
But after 14 phases they gave away a penalty to give the Reds an escape route and only a last-ditch tackle out wide on Treyvon Pritchard by Augustin Moyano stopped them stealing the game.
In the dying seconds, desperate line defence, a break by Peitsch, a penalty won by Kurtley Beale in his 185th appearance - taking him equal with Aaron Smith for third most caps in competition history - a line-out win, a kick to touch and the Force claimed the points.
Western Force 19
Tries: Tizzano (6',54'), Grealy (43'),
Conversions: Burey 2/3
Penalties: Nil
Queensland Reds 14
Tries: Brial (19'), Ryan (50').
Conversions: Werchon 2/2.
Penalties: Nil
Crowd: 6,203 @ HBF Park
