The Western Force’s hopes of a maiden Super Rugby Pacific finals appearance already look remote after just two rounds, following a bruising 42–32 defeat to the Blues in Perth on Saturday.
Another tireless display from flanker Carlo Tizzano was again not enough, as the Force were outgunned in a wild, nine-try contest that swung repeatedly before the visitors asserted control.
A week after fading badly in the heat against the Brumbies, the Force again let a halftime advantage slip. This time it was a narrow three-point buffer that evaporated, condemning Simon Cron’s side to a second straight home loss and leaving them anchored to the bottom of the ladder.
The result extended the Blues’ dominance in the fixture to 14 consecutive wins and handed the Force an eighth successive Super Rugby Pacific defeat, a run stretching back to round eight of last season.
Despite the ominous trend, the Force showed grit early. They snatched an unlikely 17–14 halftime lead when Tizzano — last season’s leading try-scorer in the competition — muscled his way over after the siren.
Earlier, prop Harry Johnson-Holmes had barged over for an 11th-minute try, while flyhalf Ben Donaldson kept the scoreboard ticking with three goals from a flawless boot. Still, the hosts trailed for much of the opening stanza after strikes from Blues playmaker Stephen Perofeta and prop Josh Fusitu’a.
After the break, the Blues’ class told. They outscored the Force four tries to two in the second half, backing up a narrow opening-round loss to the Chiefs with a far more clinical display.
“It’s important,” Blues fullback Zarn Sullivan told Stan Sport. “We had a tough one in round one, so to come over here and tick off the first win is big.
“It’s not easy coming to Perth. It’s a great place, but you’ve got to stay focused, get the job done and get back home.”
For the Force, the warning signs are already flashing. Two rounds in, promise has again given way to familiar frustration — and the road back into finals contention is growing steeper by the week.
Blues 42 (Tries: Fusitu’a, Perofeta, Sullivan, Barnes, Forbes, Beehre; Cons: Perofeta 6) def Western Force 32 (Tries: Johnson-Holmes, Tizzano, Kuenzle, Donaldson; Cons: Donaldson 3; Pens: Donaldson 2
Western Force: 15 Mac Grealy, 14 Divad Palu, 13 George Bridge, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Bayley Kuenzle, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Nathan Hastie, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Jeremy Williams (captain), 5 Darcy Swain, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Misinale Epenisa, 19 Lopeti Faifua, 20 Kane Koteka, 21 Henry Robertson, 22 Max Burey, 23 Kurtley Beale
Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 Cole Forbes, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Pita Akhi, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Finlay Christie,8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i (captain), 6 Anton Segner, 5 Josh Beehre, 4 Laghlan McWhannell, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Joshua Fusitu’a
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Che Clark, 20 Torian Barnes, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai
Referee: Damon Murphy
Assistant referees: Jordan Way, Jeremy Markey
TMO: James Leckie
English