A mighty comeback by the Western Force saw the Perth based side defeat the Melbourne Rebels  in the final clash of the opening round of Super Rugby Pacific 2023. The Force showed real promise heading into the 2023 season, and if not for an intercept try and some poor exiting from kick-off restarts, the margin of victory could have been even greater.

Reece Hodge opened the scoring in the second minute with a penalty from 25 metres out, as the Force forwards were penalised for chasing a clearing kick from an offside position. The Western Force had an opportunity to strike back with a scrum 2 minutes later in a good attacking position, but the Rebels dominant scrum forced the turnover and the Rebels cleared into the opposition half.

Handling errors from both teams stifled attacking opportunities in the opening quarter, replicating a lack of match sharpness that was replicated in matches earlier in the round. The Force showed promise in attack with strong carries from their backline, but a mistake opened the door for the Rebels to score the first try of the game. Carter Gordon instinctively read a slow Prior delivery from the back of a ruck near halfway and ran the intercept 50 metres to touch down under the posts, which Hodge easily converted to give the Rebels a 10-0 lead in the 17th minute.

Sustained Force pressure resulted in a deserved penalty, allowing the home side to put three teams on the board. The Rebels bounced back with attack of their own, and unrelenting pressure in the Force 22 led to their second try of the evening. The ball popped loose at the back of a ruck and fortunately Louwrens was able to pick it up and duck under a weak tackle to give the Rebels a 17-3 lead.

The Perth side’s pressure was awarded in the 33rd minute as Wallaby Tom Robertson nifty footwork from 2m out helped him score to bring the Force back into the game. Good handling down the left hand side and a strong carry from Pulu down the left touchline dragged in the Force defence, and Prior popped to Robertson to finish. Bryce Hegarty converted to make it a one score game again.

Another consistent theme from the opening weekend is teams giving the opposition an opportunity to respond after scoring by not exiting accurately from the kickoff. From the restart, Hegarty put the ball out on the full and gave the Rebels a lineout 12m from the tryline. Persistent pick and go attempts and strong carrying resulted in a Brad Wilkin try, shaking the tackle of Tom Robertson at the edge of a ruck and touching down.

A great first phase attack play from a scrum on the right hand side saw the Force break the line just before the half time siren. A poorly chosen offload was intercepted by the Rebels, but a infringement by the Rebels gave the Force an easy 3 points with the final kick of the half to leave the score 13-24 at half time.

A Hegarty offload sparked a Force break in the 49th minute, and the force were stopped just short of the line. Referee Damon Murphy yellow carded Lachie Anderson for cynically slowing the ball and killing the attack. The Force went with a quick tap penalty and Horton scored on the second phase as the Rebels were caught off guard. Hegarty slotted the penalty to bring the Force right back into the game and within 4 points with 30 minutes remaining. Hodge pushed a kickable penalty wide left and the score remained unchanged entering the final quarter of the game, with Anderson returning to the field from the sin bin.

A majestic ten man maul from the Force in the 65th minutes saw them take the lead for the first time in the contest. The home side never looked like being stopped and sent the crowd into ruptures, and the conversion by Hegarty saw them take a 27-24 lead. Reece Hodge levelled the score minutes later with a huge 53m penalty from inside his own half, as again the Force didn’t do themselves justice and conceded shortly after scoring themselves.

The Rebel’s defence was getting pounded by relentless attack with 10 minutes left inside their own 22, with strong carries and efficient rucking producing a great attacking platform. The attack eventually produced the desired result, with a bloodied Jeremy Thrush pick-an-going from 2 metres out to put the Force ahead for what ultimately proved to be the decisive score in the game.

Both teams head to Melbourne next week for the Super Round, with all teams playing in Melbourne. The Rebels will host the Hurricanes on Friday evening, while the Force take on the Reds on Sunday afternoon.

Western Force: Tiatia, Pulu, Spink, Stewart, Kibirige, Hegarty, Prior; Robertson, Fainga’a, Medrano, Kalapu, Williams, Anstee, Callan, Wells (Subs: Horton, Wagmer, Amone, Thrush, Pugh, Fines-Leleiwasa, Kuenzle, Poolman)

Melbourne Rebels: Jooste, Anderson, Hodge, Ili, Ioane, Gordon, Louwrens; Gibbon, Mafi, Talakai, Canham, Taii Tualima, Kemeny, Wilkin, Hardwick (Subs: Uelese, Kailea, Fa’amausili, Hosea, Ioane, Ekuasi, Tuttle, Ripley)