Zac Lomax scores but Force fall short in Super Rugby Pacific finals race

Zac Lomax has scored his second Super Rugby try but it wasn’t enough to earn the bonus point the Force desperately needed to stay in the finals hunt.

The Western Force’s finals hopes are officially over despite posting a gutsy 19-15 Super Rugby Pacific win over Fijian Drua in Perth.

The Force entered Saturday night’s match knowing only a bonus-point win would be enough to keep their faint finals chances alive, while the Drua’s hopes were already extinguished following Queensland’s last-gasp win over Moana Pasifika earlier in the day.

Zac Lomax’s 69th-minute try from what looked to be an obvious forward pass put the Force ahead, but the home side needed another two tries to snare the winning bonus point.

Captain Jeremy Williams looked to have given the Force finals hope when he touched down in the 78th minute, but the TMO rubbed it out after deeming there had been an earlier knock-on.

Fixture

Super Rugby Pacific

Force

19 - 15

Full-time

Fijian Drua

All Stats and Data

The Force desperately tried to get another try to keep the bonus point in play, but it wasn’t to be.

The result means the Force are six points adrift of the sixth-placed Queensland Reds with only one round remaining.

Force players looked dejected after the win, knowing their late-season charge hasn’t been enough to snare the franchise a maiden finals berth. 

Carlo Tizzano’s 10th-minute try from a rolling maul gave the Force the perfect start.

The Force had to spend long periods of the first half defending, with Fijian Drua’s enterprising play causing all sorts of headaches.

The visitors levelled in the 17th minute when Kitione Salawa barged over, and they were ahead when hooker Zuriel Togiatama found himself free in the corner. 

Fijian Drua had more metres gained, more carries and more clean breaks in the first half, and they deserved their 12-7 lead at the break.

The Force obliterated Drua’s scrum against the feed in the 48th minute, and the home side produced another dominant scrum a few minutes later for No.8 Vaiolini Ekuasi to bust over.

Kurtley Beale entered the fray in the 54th minute to notch appearance No.186 in Super Rugby, putting him into outright third on the all-time games played list. 

Despite having a man in the sin bin, Drua were able to regain the lead via a penalty, but Lomax put the Force back in front when he touched over in the corner.

Mac Grealy’s pass to Lomax looked forward, but the try still stood.

The Force thought they had scored again in the 78th minute through Williams after Lomax pulled down a high ball.

But replays showed Lomax’s catch had actually come off the chest of teammate Dylan Pietsch, who also flew high for the ball.