Video: Rob Kearney stars as Western Force heap more misery on Waratahs
Rob Kearney and the Western Force have heaped more misery on the NSW Waratahs with a drought-busting 20-16 Super Rugby AU victory in Sydney.
The Force rallied from 13-0 down to record their first Super Rugby win since also beating the Waratahs in Perth in July 2017 – in their final game before being booted out of the competition.
“It’s huge for us. We made a bit of history tonight and it’s crucial for us to get that bit of confidence back,” said jubilant Force captain Brynard Stander.
“It’s huge for the state because there’s a lot of loyal supporters in Western Australia. Our sea of blue is what we call them and they’re behind us thick or thin.
Another assured performance at the back from Rob Kearney 🇮🇪
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“So for us to take a win back home, not just to the sea of blue but also our beloved families, is just an incredible feeling.”
Coach Tim Sampson said the Force would celebrate their breakthrough win long and hard after enduring nine straight defeats since returning to the domestic Super Rugby competition last year.< /p>
“You’ve got to celebrate it. You’ve got to enjoy those moments and as you can imagine it’s a pretty noisy change room in there at the moment,” Sampson said.
“It’s what you work your butt off for all week, to get the ‘W’, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t celebrate that.”
But while the Force can celebrate, the Waratahs’ third consecutive defeat, after opening 2021 with record losses to the Brumbies and Queensland Reds, has only intensified the pressure on embattled coach Rob Penney.
Penney said after last week’s 61-10 capitulation to the Brumbies that he would happily walk if he was no longer deemed the man to take the Waratahs forward.
But he was in no mood to discuss his future on Friday night.
“I don’t know. You’ll answer that for us,” Penney said when asked if the improved showing meant he was still the right man for the job.
The Waratahs looked the goods early against the Force, opting for a lineout over th ree gift points from a penalty in front of the posts and being rewarded with a try to hooker David Porecki from a driving maul in the fifth minute.
Will Harrison’s successful conversion, and penalty goals in the 14th and 24th minutes gave the Tahs their 13-point start.
But the Force reduced the deficit to three points by halftime through a nice try to lock Fergus Lee-Warner from a Tim Anstee break, followed by a Jake McIntyre penalty three minutes before the interval.
Anstee did it all himself to put the Force ahead, the blindside flanker sweeping around the back of a lineout and beating three defenders to charge over in the 54th minute.
There was no way back for the Waratahs.
One fleeting play from winger James Ramm summed up the Tahs’ exasperating start to the season.
After brilliantly reeling in a midfield bomb, Ramm appeared certain to score to put the Waratahs back in front only for the ball to somehow fly free from his arm without another player insight.
Not even the F orce being reduced to 14 men for the final quarter of an hour, after replacement forward Andrew Ready was red-carded for punching Hugh Sinclair in the face, could save the Waratahs.
And the latest slip-up leaves Penney squarely under the gun.
Comments on RugbyPass
Good luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to comments