Author: Luke Baird

For all the talk of 2015 being a year to go ‘back to back’ – building on the  Force’s breakout year of 2014 – the pre-season build-up was as optimistic as it got for the Force last year. Reviewing 2015 2015 was a year to forget as the Western Force went from hero to zero. They floundered at the bottom of the log with three wins from 16 – the Waratahs (twice) and Rebels. To add insult to injury, the Force had the lowest try tally in the completion: 28 to the Highlanders’ 63. Noting their try-scoring deficiency, the Force…

The Force will be hoping to scuttle the Highlanders’ finals hopes when the two teams come to a head this Saturday night in Perth. The Form The Force come off a bye, following a rare win in their season against the Waratahs in round 13. Finishing the season off with some wins – and in turn avoiding the wooden spoon which they currently hold – will be the team’s objective. Contrastingly, the Highlanders have all to play for after a mixed tour of South Africa: which consisted of a close loss against the Lions, and a convincing win against the…

Fresh from a bye, the Force will be looking to notch their first victory at home on Saturday night when they take on the Cheetahs – still smarting from a 20-3 rout at the hands of the Brumbies. The Form The 13th placed Force had a bye last week after a disappointing tour of South Africa. With only one win from seven, the Force will be desperate to kick start their season after losing six games on the trot. The Cheetahs, meanwhile, occupy one spot above the men from Perth. They have two wins from seven, and come into the…

A daunting assignment for any travelling team, the Force entered the game having not won at Loftus since 2007. Coming off a loss, it appeared the Force would be up against it, facing a rested Bulls side emerging from a bye. But that was not how it panned out. The Match First Half Pollard opens the scoring with a penalty after 8 minutes. The Force soon hit back, scoring the first try of the match through Coleman three minutes later – a beneficiary of Mathewson’s pass. In the 15th minute, Pollard is awarded a penalty kick to keep the Bulls…

In the lead up to the first home game of the season for the Force, and the final game of the Hurricanes’ arduous away tour of South Africa and Perth before the bye, there was talk of complacency and of a possible ambush. But it was the Force caught unawares – suffering their biggest ever home loss to the men from Wellington. The Match First Half The Force were the first to get a score on the board after the Hurricanes were pinged for not rolling away. But this would be the only time in the match that the Force…

Falling at the last hurdle to a maiden finals appearance in 2014, the Western Force will be looking to build on their most successful season in the club’s history, and go one step further in this their tenth season of Super Rugby. Coach Michael Foley has said that he was very proud of what the team achieved in 2014 but understood that last year counts for nothing in 2015 with all teams starting from scratch. The catch cry ‘Back to back’ has been promoted amongst the players during pre-season showing the players are determined to prove to all that last…

In Round 18 of Super Rugby, the resurgent Queensland Reds travel westward with revenge on their minds, when they meet the hosts the Western Force in the only all-Australian derby of the weekend. The Form Last week, the Force were humbled at home by the travelling Blues, who took only 20 minutes to achieve the four-try bonus point in a 14-40 hiding. Correspondingly, it all seemed to click for the Reds, as they, like the Blues, had the game all sewn up by half time. The 20-36 away victory in Melbourne made it two on the trot for the Queenslanders.…

The Force’s destiny is in their own hands as they look to book a spot in the finals with a win at nib Stadium against the Blues, in Round 17 of Super Rugby. The Form Both teams return from the three-week Test sojourn, rejuvenated and ready to vie for a finals berth. Last round, the Force were comprehensively outplayed by an efficient Crusaders outfit, in a 30-7 loss in Christchurch. Simultaneously, the Blues trounced an in-form Hurricanes side – who just the week before trounced the Chiefs at home – winning 37-24. Head to head, the Force are 1-1-4 (win-loss-draw)…

The high-flying Western Force meet the seven-time Super Rugby champions, the Crusaders, at AMI Stadium this Friday night, in what shapes up to be a ding-dong encounter. The Game Last week, the Crusaders held on at the death to clinch a valuable bonus-point win over the Highlanders 32-30 in Dunedin. The win moved them to the top of the Kiwi conference, and third overall on the table. At the same time, the Force took the full eighty minutes to overcome the Lions 29-19 in Perth, who nearly pinched the win with a late charge in the final five minutes. Consequently,…

The Western Force return home from Cape Town this week, to host the injury depleted Lions at the final pitstop of their Australasian tour: NIB Stadium, this Saturday night. The Teams Last week, the Force went down meekly to the Stormers 24-8 in Cape Town. The Force were made to defend for the majority of the match, and could not get their game going until the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Lions were outmuscled 41-13 in Sydney by the Waratahs, whose power game proved too much for the men from Johannesburg to cope with for 80 minutes. Head to head, the…

In Round 14 of Super Rugby, the Western Force look to make it two from two against South African opposition on the road when they meet the Stormers at Newlands this Saturday night. The teams Last weekend, the Force survived a late charge in the second half after leading 13-6 at the break, to overcome a spirited Cheetahs side 23-16 in Bloemfontein. The Stormers, despite scoring twelve unanswered points after only 18 minutes, were worn down physically by the Bulls in the end, who raced away to win 28-12 at Pretoria. Head to head, the Stormers are 4-1 against the…

The Force commence their two-game South African tour this week in Bloemfontein, determined to bolster their finals prospects with a win over the Cheetahs on Saturday (May 10). #164370397 / gettyimages.com The Teams The Cheetahs come off a close loss to the Bulls away, while the well-rested Force look to pick up where they left off this week, following the bye. The high-flying Force are 5th on the log, and in order to be taken seriously as finals contenders, they need to beat the bottom-ranked Cheetahs. But as history shows, it is not that simple (especially in the Republic), as…

The three-time Super Rugby champions the Bulls arrived in Perth this week, determined to finish their Australasian tour on a high. The only thing standing in their way is a wounded Force side, looking to get back to winning ways in front of the passionate Sea of Blue. The ledger reads 3 wins to 2 in the Bulls favour. They will be hoping to continue their run of wins over the Force; equally the Force will want to secure a much-needed win over the Bulls, which has not been achieved since 2011. The Teams The results of the Bulls’ Australasian…

The Melbourne Rebels will look to atone for their shocking performance in Round 4, when they were overrun by a rampant Force team in Matt Hodgson’s 100th Super game. This is the only Australian derby of Round 10, but it will be a cracker. The Super Rugby table may suggest that the fourth-placed Force will be favourites against the 13th-placed Rebels, but matches between these two teams are never a foregone conclusion. Up until the Round 4 encounter, matches between the two most recently established Australian sides have been decided by seven points or less. The Teams Defence will be…