Western Force 16 Stormers 15
The Western Force finally pulled off a victory for the first time this season after toughing it out against an off-key Stormers outfit in Perthfontein last night.
Five eighth David Hill was the toast of the town after he kicked a drop goat goal in the last play of the game to achieve a come-from-behind victory.
This was a match that didn’t reach any great heights, with both teams lacking ball security and mistakes galore. It was just waiting for someone to grab it by the throat.
Nobody did but when the 14th placed team (now 13th – hurrah, monkey off the back etc) defeats the 2nd placed team (now 3rd), they must have done something right.
What they did do was scrap at the breakdown, compete in the set piece and importantly, employ a better tactical kicking game. David Hill was prominent in this aspect of play.
The Stormers did not regularly breach the Force defensive line but they did make some breaks; however, couldn’t finish them off. Their try-scoring sheet was zip.
Apart from a lovely try scored by Bam Pocock, as a result of great angled running and support play by Inman, Barty and Rabbit O’Connor, there is a worrying lack of creativity and pace in the Force midfield.
Scoring meat pies is a real problem for this team and indicative of their position on the table. Hill and Cross in particular were pedestrian in attack but balanced that out by making other contributions.
Rabbit at fullback had loads of touches as the Stormers took to the air for large parts of the game. He injected himself into the backline, had a positive role in the Force kicking game and again looked their most penetrative player.
The return of Bam Pocock is a boon for the side but he looked a little underdone and will be better for this outing. The astute injection of Richard Brown and other bench players late in the game helped the team get over the line.
Best on field was a toss up between Ben McCalman and Matt Hodgson. The former had been forced to step up to cover for broken Wallabies and has impressed every week. Hodgson is just a machine – he doesn’t know when to stop.
Chris O’Young continued where he left off last week with crisp distribution and decision-making, and Pek Cowan looked very much at home back at prop.
The scrum continues to provide the Force with a stable platform and, apart from a couple of ‘not straights’ by Whittaker, the lineout functioned pretty well also.
The Force didn’t play as expansively as they did last week against the Bulls, but tried to take them on up the middle. It was a relatively successful technique against a team that wasn’t prepared to do the hard work to win.
For the Stormers, five eighth Peter Grant kicked 5/5 and kept them in the game right until the end. They could have and should have won it with a bit more enthusiasm and focus.
Poor finishing, ‘last pass’ blues and a lack of leadership highlighted a flat performance. They’re going to have to do a whole lot better than this next week against the Blues if they want to stay in the top four.
In addition to Grant, lock Andries Bekker, fullback Gio Aplon and prop Brok Harris were their best. Bryan Habana always looked dangerous with ball in hand but he got few opportunities to shine.
I’m not sure why the Stormers have a Fijian prop playing for them on the wing but it’s not a winner…..
The Force are off overseas next week to take on the Highlanders and Blues. I think they’ll be a chance at the House of Pain but will need all their wherewithal (and the return of the injured Spanner) to compete with those bro’s.
The news on Cameron Shepherd is positive and he’s expected back next week also.
For the Force, this was a game for the true believers. They’ve shown over the past three weeks that they’re a tenacious although limited side, who will scrap all day and punish you if you take them lightly.
Wallabies Watch
Put his hand up: Pek Cowan. He looked much more comfortable in his regular position, had a high workrate and was very mobile around the park.
Did himself no favours: Ryan Cross. I don’t want to keep banging on about him but he is very limited in attack mode – he just runs at people and gets tackled. Defended well, though.
Bolter watch: Ben McCalman. Unfortunately, he’ll probably be benched for Richard Brown’s return. Has substituted exceptionally well for a newbie and has a promising future.
