Crusaders suffer defeat in Perth against Force
- Apr 19
- 2 min read
A dominant first-half from the Crusaders wasn't enough for victory in their Super Rugby clash against the Force in Perth.
The Force won 31-26, their fourth victory against the Crusaders in their history and their first win at home this year.
The Crusaders were missing a heap of experience and various captains on the field with Christian Lio-Willie taking over as leader.
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They chased down the defending champions superbly after trailing 19-nil at one stage, after George Bell, Leicester Fainga'anuka and Johnny McNicholl all scored tries in the first 22 minutes.
McNicholl's try in the 22nd minute showed suplime skill diving to collect the ball and touchdown cleanly.
However after Harry Robertson crashed over for the first of his two tries for the Force just before halftime, the tide turned.
With the score at 19-7 at the break the hosts steadied their play and found holes in the Crusaders defence.
The Force scored four tries in the second half, including a simple catch-and-pass to the line for former rugby league international Zac Lomax, on his starting debut.
Dylan Pietsch, and 100 game veteran Harry Johnson-Holmes were also try scorers along with a seocnd for Robertson.
The win keeps the Force in the hunt for a playoff spot, while the defeat for the Crusaders was their fifth in nine games this season.
Western Force 31 (Henry Robertson 2, Zac Lomax, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Johnson-Holmes try; Ben Donaldson 3 con) Crusaders 26 (George Bell, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Johnny McNicholl try, Noath Hotham; Taha Kemara 2 con, Rivez Reihana con). HT: 7-19.
