The Western Force overcame four yellow cards to end more than a decade of losing against the Brumbies in “fortress” Canberra, much to the delight of coach Simon Cron.
James O’Connor scored 15 points for the Force in a 27-19 win against Matt Giteau and the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium in April of the 2011 Super Rugby season. Until Saturday, that marked the last time the Perth challengers had won in Australia’s capital.
For the first time in 5060 days, the @westernforce have beaten the @BrumbiesRugby in Canberra
#SuperRugbyPacific #BRUvFOR pic.twitter.com/bnPBnX4IZE
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) February 22, 2025
The Force bettered a team stacked with Wallabies on Saturday evening, despite getting four yellow cards and being down to 13 men late in the second half, clinching their first victory in Canberra for nearly 14 years.
The triumph followed a similarly heart-stopping 45-44 takedown of Moana Pasifika at home last week.
“The fight the boys have showed will help them in the future,” Cron told reporters after the game. “The boys, down to 13 men and fighting, were something we are really proud of.”
The Force raced to a 21-point lead, but poor discipline threatened to undo the good work with the series of yellow cards opening the door to the Brumbies. While the Canberra side was bolstered by the inclusion of Allan Alaalatoa, James Slipper, Tom Wright and Len Ikitau, they were unable to get the job done. Both teams scored six converted tries with Ben Donaldson’s 49th-minute penalty ultimately making the difference.
Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White, who spent nine seasons with the Brumbies before switching to Perth last year, said the victory had put the team “in a really good place”.
“To be able to win away from home … this is a place not many teams come and win,” he said. “I know from being on the other side. It’s called a fortress, it feels like a double win really.”
Brumbies skipper Alaalatoa admitted their slow start was unacceptable.
“That was the chat out there, there was always belief that we could come back but if you think about that again, we can’t start like that,” the Test prop said.
In other results, the unbeaten Chiefs hammered the Crusaders, the Highlanders upset the defending champion Blues, the Reds put 56 points on Moana Pasifika and the Hurricanes won a shootout against the Drua,
The Force host the Reds next week while the Brumbies, who won their season opener against Fijian Drua, face a tough assignment in Hamilton against the unbeaten Chiefs.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
The post Cron thrilled as Force end 5060-day wait for win in Canberra appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Western Force overcame four yellow cards to end more than a decade of losing against the Brumbies in “fortress” Canberra, much to the delight of coach Simon Cron.
The post Cron thrilled as Force end 5060-day wait for win in Canberra appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
