Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force run out of steam after battling first-half in 55-33 loss to Crusaders

Western Force’s edge defence has been torn to shreds by a rampant Crusaders as the visitors allowed nine tries to outside backs in a 55-33 defeat at Appollo Projects Stadium. The Force dropped their third successive game as a battling, admirable first-half effort sans five Wallabies gave way to a second-half pummeling. Down just two at half-time, the Force shipped three tries in the first 14 minutes after the break to lose sight of what would have been an against-the-odds, first-ever win in Christchurch. The Crusaders, donning Iron Man-themed jerseys for Kids Round, were met with some steely Force defence, but the longer the game went on, the easier it was for the hosts to penetrate the lines — especially out wide. Wingers Sevu Reece and Macca Springer combined for eight tries and full-back Will Jordan added another as the Crusaders consistently jabbed the Force inside before hitting them outside with vicious hooks. The loss leaves the Force with a vital match back home in Perth next Sunday against fellow stragglers Fijian Drua as coach Simon Cron rued the second half fade out. “I thought first half we were really good in the middle of the field defensively. I still felt we let a couple of easy tries in – we missed a tackle down the left edge and they went all the way,” he said. “I felt like we were working really hard for our tries and probably letting them in a little bit easy. “However, the start of the second half, their back three started to open us up and again, just missing a couple of tackles, a couple of key moments where we had to control the speed of that ruck and the Crusaders did what they did.” It was the visitors who took the lead two minutes in after Christian Lio-Willie dropped the opening kick-off deep in his own 22, allowing the Force to win an early scrum penalty which Max Burey turned into three points. The Force’s defence held up well early, but a line-out error on their own 22 saw the hosts pounce and Springer turned the turnover into five points. But the visitors struck back immediately when Will Harris found space down the left edge and the flanker’s offload was followed by a clever George Poolman pass and Mac Grealy’s momentum carried him over the try-line. The tit-for-tat continued when Braydon Ennor exploited a soft middle of the field to surge forward and his clever chip kick bounced, evaded defenders and fell in the lap of Springer to touch down. Another Burey penalty made it 11-10 to the Force, only for the Crusaders to re-take the lead when David Havili and Ennor’s quick ball movement created acres of space for Sevu Reece to take advantage of and score his side’s third try. Up the other end, some great counter-rucking by Reed Prinsep won a turnover and the Force made the most of it when Issak Fines-Leleiwasa’s run from a tap-penalty was franked by Harris pushing over from close range. Taha Kemara’s place-kicking (0-4 in the first half) prevented the Crusaders from taking a bigger lead, but his pass down the left wing allowed Reece to score his second try and give the hosts a 20-18 lead at the break. Reece grabbed his hat-trick two minutes after the restart when the Force turned over the kick-off and the All Blacks try-machine made an opportunistic break from the base of the ruck. Burey knocked over a penalty to make it 27-21, but a decision to attempt another shot at goal in swirling winds after another penalty proved costly when the fly-half missed. Any hopes of a famous Force win were erased at the hand of a former favourite son in the form of James O’Connor as he set up Springer’s hat-trick try in the corner. Springer then grabbed his fourth with the try of the day, an impressive solo effort which involved him collecting his own grubber kick tight up against the sideline and racing away. The wingers combined for try number eight when Reece gathered his own kick on the chase and his scoop pass ended in the Crusaders shifting the ball to the left, where Springer stepped inside. Jeremy Williams and Harry Potter added late Force tries — the latter after a superb break from the winger — either side of Jordan finishing off his own line-break.