Late rally puts Force clear
Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:25
The Western Force moved into third place on the Super 14 standings with a deserved 36-28 win over the Highlanders at the Queenstown Events Centre, New Zealand, on Saturday.
The Highlanders held a comfortable 25-17 lead and later a 28-20 advantage going into the final quarter, but 16 unanswered points from the Force saw them race clear.
Super 14 took on a grassroots feeling near lovely Queenstown in New Zealand's Lake District. The Queenstown Events Centre is eight kilometres outside of Queenstown with a country feel. There are mountains around about and a bank for spectators to stand or sit on. As Murray Mexted said: "Paradise surrounds us."
The Western Force must have thought that they had risen from the dead to some form of rugby paradise when they were down and then in a period of four minutes scored 13 points and it started with a gift.
At half-time there had been an Easter Egg-eating competition for girls. The Force's Easter Egg was gobbled up by Ryan Cross to set victory in motion - a victory they probably deserved as they were the better organised and skilled side with important players in a position to score points for them - not least in two goal-kickers who kicked seven out of seven.
The Highlanders just did not have the same aplomb, try as they might, scoring three splendid tries as they did.
The first of those tries came after 14 minutes with the scores locked at a penalty apiece - one by Matt Giteau and one by Daniel Bowden, both for off-side.
The Highlanders got quick turn-over ball when Tai McIsaac lost the ball forward in a tackle. They went quickly right and then Aaron Bancroft stepped sharply off his right foot past Giteau and then sidestepped James Stannard on a 40-metre run to the line. Bowden converted.
Both sides had chances to score. Once Drew Mitchell of the Force had a run but lost the ball with a try in the offing and once big Tom Donnelly intercepted, raced downfield and sidestepped Mitchell before being felled five metres short. Then the splendid Ryan Cross broke and gave to Cameron Shepherd grubbered ahead but Jimmy Cowan - inevitably Jimmy Cowan - saved at the cornerpost.
Cowan's rescue produced a five-metre scrum for the Force and they scored from it but not without great effort, Stannard's break gave them the impetus and then burly Pek Cowan took the ball to the line. Quick ball saw Tom Hockings cut back to score. Giteau converted. 10-10 after 25 minutes.
A magnificent break sent Cross striding straight down the field. He played to flank Tamati Horua who got the ball to the industrious David Pocock. The Force lost the ball to Bancroft but a thumping tackle on him by Mitchell got the ball back and Richard Brown surged over. Giteau converted. 17-109 to the Force after 30 minutes.
On the stroke of half-time Bowden goaled a penalty. 17-13 at the break.
The Highlanders stared the second half running. There was a freshness and enthusiasm about everything that they did and it paid off as they went to 25-17 in the first ten minutes of the second half.
Cowan broke going right and they came back left where in a tackle fullback James Wilson got a brilliant pass to lock Hoani MacDonald who gave to Paul Williams. Tackled Williams stretched to the full extent of his arm to score. 18-17 to the Highlanders.
When Scott Staniforth caught a diagonal and raced many metres down the right he came close to scoring. Knocked over near the line he did not get up but moved his body forward to get the ball over the line, conceding a free kick.
MacDonald won a Force line-out to set up the try of the match. The Highlanders went from their right to the far left where Fetu'u Vainikolo cut back inside Wilson on his 10-metre line and then set off at speed on a swerving run that took him past Shepherd and over for a try at the posts. Bowden converted. 25-17 after 50 minutes.
The Force now started to play with urgency. When Wilson was off-side at a tackle five metres from his line and right in front of his posts, Giteau made it 25-20 four minutes later.
Bowden made the score 28-20 with 19 minutes to go. Then the Force's golden four minutes. It started near the Highlanders' 10-metre line when Cross easily intercepted a floating pass and strode down to the posts to score. 28-27.
Cowan was penalised for a dangerous tackle. 30-28. The Highlanders were off-side. It was a longer kick and Shepherd goaled 33-28.
The Force wove some magic with switch passes but the last score was also a penalty, goaled buy Shepherd. 36-28.
The Highlanders attacked with urgency after the final siren and got right to the line but Jamie Mackintosh lost the ball and the game was over.
Man of the Match: Matt Giteau was great but it must be Ryan Cross - so elegant and so telling in his running.
Moment of the Match: There was the great try by Fetu'u Vainikolo but the moment that really counted was the intercept and try by Ryan Cross.
Villain of the Match: Nobody, but does Jamie Cowan play in a sour spirit which spoils the greatness of his performances?
The scorers:
For the Highlanders:
Tries: Bancroft, Williams, Vainikolo
Cons: Bowden 2
Pens: Bowden 3
For the Western Force:
Tries: Hockings, Brown, Cross
Cons: Giteau 3
Pens: Giteau 3, Shepherd 2
Teams:
Highlanders: 15 James Wilson, 14 Paul Williams, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Aaron Bancroft, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Daniel Bowden, 9 Jimmy Cowan (vice-captain), 8 Steven Setephano, 7 Tim Boys, 6 Craig Newby (captain), 5 Tom Donnelly, 4
Hoani MacDonald, 3 Chris King, 2 Jason Macdonald, 1 Jamie Mackintosh.
Replacements: 16 David Hall, 17 Keith Cameron, 18 Hayden Triggs, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Toby Morland, 21 Mike Delany, 22 Brett Mather.
Western Force: 15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Lachlan MacKay, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau (vice-captain), 9 James Stannard, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Tamaiti Horua, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Tom Hockings, 3 AJ Whalley, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Luke Holmes, 17 Troy Takiari, 18 Sam Wykes, 19 Scott Fava, 20 Matt Hodgson, 21 Scott Daruda, 22 Nick Cummins.
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Touch judges: Willie Roos (South Africa), Keith Brown (New Zealand)
TMO: Shane McDermott
