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Western Force

2025 Super Rugby Season Round 15 from Saturday: Chiefs too good for Moana Pasifika and Waratahs still alive in Top 6 race following their extra time win over Western Force

by Sports Benches May 27, 2025

Lots of Chiefs players submitted their own Emmy Awards of Super Rugby nominations following a turbocharged Round 15 win v Moana Pasifika.

1️⃣ Can’t enough of Leroy Carter’s hat-trick on the left 11 who loves being front and centre – going into top gear for Finals.

2️⃣ Another hat-trick display this time Cortez Ratima at half-back goes to show why winning the championship will mean beating everyone for the ABs.

3️⃣Not out of the Top 6 just yet and Ardie Savea 7 is one freakish giant who can take them all like he did the other day despite Moana’s heavy defeat – look out Canes!

Looks like we got more by the Waratahs over Force starting with the player behind that winning “Darby” at Super Point.

1️⃣ No need for an intro with Darby Lancaster as the Tahs usual outside backs sprinter & acrobatic specialist on the left.

2️⃣ Reserve 10 Jack Bowen unpacks that dynamic passage passing and wouldn’t mind taking conversions into extra points.

3️⃣ Carlo Tizzano loves scoring tries like he does every time; now may be out of reach for Finals Footy but perfect time now to Force that storm v the B & I Lions.

May 27, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Season, Round 12 of 16: Blues sign off full-time as clear victors plus the bonus point over Western Force

by Sports Benches May 2, 2025

Yes, Force had a painfully difficult night against the Auckland Blues at Eden Park even though their first half wasn’t bad (12-7) + the early 10-20 mins of the 2nd part.

Unfortunately, Force were simply blown away by the Blues stronghold bench where the margin gets bigger and bigger over time and there was no stopping Blues towards the end – not even winning a losing bonus point would add a bit more suffering when it comes to the Top 6 Finals race. The final score was 40-19.

Going into the weekend with four games still to play including the rare Sunday afternoon outing, Force now sit 7th and Blues back in the zone just one place ahead in 6th as of Round 12 out of 16.

Here are the games that are coming up between tomorrow and Sunday:

Fijian Drua v Reds in Suva tomorrow at 12pm AEST
Hurricanes v Chiefs in Wellington tomorrow at 5pm AEST
Brumbies v Waratahs in Canberra tomorrow at 7.30pm
Highlanders v Moana Pasifika in Dunedin at 1.30pm Sunday

For Force, they have the last three being difficult with the Brumbies first next Saturday night, Drua away in Fiji and the Waratahs later this month for Round 15.

All they could to is bring that home crowd noise and who knows? They could bring up a surprise and have an extended shot in the Finals come next month for Force.

Plus, Blues got back-to-back Pasifika opponents in Drua next Friday and Moana Saturday week. Then they will take the week off on the second last round before they finish the regular run off v Waratahs.

Top 3 players of the night

AJ Lam – what a difference he’s made as the Blues reserve 15 in the 2nd half who can also play in other positions within the backline. He deserves a deeper run so Blues could make Finals once again & if he can do that, then Scott Robertson should consider him as his back-ups for the ABs.

There’s Cole Forbes has International suitors following his two-try haul on the outside back right. Cole had success in the past in Scotland likewise with coach Vern Cotter whose tactics got the better of his running rugby and now he’s ready to put his International standing on the map.

Bummer for Force whose good start with Carlo Tizzano still scoring were slipped away later where Blues got the better bench than them. But one player who’s still got it was Kurtley Beale following his long lay-off from Achilles injury.

He knows where to funnel around & cash in whose contribution in the remaining rounds would hopefully give Joe Schmidt food for thought v the Lions – probably as back-up in the green and gold again.

May 2, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby 2025 Round 11 of 16: Force were hit with a crushing blow following Bay Oval’s first match v Chiefs while Reds stood firm at home Lang Park fortress v Blues

by Sports Benches April 25, 2025

Chiefs being too good for the Force when a promising start from the Perth fades real quick going into the second 40 in a Super Rugby being first held at Bay Oval that is well renowned for NZ cricket by 56-22.

From Mount Maunganui to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, fortunately the Reds stood firm over a lapse concentrated Blues side 35-21, as we go into the weekend with still no NZ side win yet on an Aussie front as of Round 11 out of 16.

Time will tell if the Brumbies win tomorrow night that could leave the Hurricanes empty-handed en route back to Wellington and things could still be rosy after all on their road for a proper Finals run by the Force.

Force currently sit 5th which is one place over the Waratahs who are taking the week off but again, a bonus point win for the Canes is a must if they want another shot at the Finals later this season.

And since the Hurricanes have drawn to the Force also last weekend in Perth, looks like it will be a tough ground to win over the breezy cold in Canberra.

There’s two other games also tomorrow with Moana Pasifika v Fijian Drua at North Harbour in Auckland and Highlanders will have a tough night out in Dunedin when they take on the 1st-placed Crusaders.

Top 3 players from both matches of the night

Chiefs v Force

Cortez Ratima zooms, zooms while his hands always sticks and never really falls off as unreal stuff that turns into tries and try assists from the Chiefs starting No.9.

Ollie Norris born in Sydney btw grasps and pounces every turn with a slice of the scoring pie at loosehead (Chiefs 1) on what a been a great night at Bay Oval.

Also, Harry Potter is your man who need it most in high-scoring games (Force No.14) where he can go right at you thick and fast at the other end but then a good start quickly fades away with poor defense being the culprit.

Reds v Blues

Meanwhile in Brisbane, Tom Lynagh as first-choice in the Wallabies shirt at 10?

He’s gone strength to strength with two early tries on top of his spotless kicks to goal – such a magician who is more than ready to take on at the biggest stage of top-level rugby.

Josh Canham also on fire on the Reds second row 4 in not just turning the Blues away, he also smashed deeper ground too as more to come on his 2nd finals run (could be semi or GF) + more Wallabies on-field caps especially with the Lions coming over soon on our backyard after May.

And Hoskins Sotutu continued to hit the hard yards on the Blues 8 but one too many missed opportunities & poor discipline paid the price that went the Reds way for coach Les Kiss in the end.

April 25, 2025 0 comment

Other Sports Motorsport Rugby

Top 5 sports items this week 24/4/25: Rodney Childers’ shock departure at Spire, Scott Parker’s links with Tottenham after PL promotion with Burnley, Super Rugby Round 11/16, Max Verstappen and Western Bears in NRL

by Sports Benches April 24, 2025

Bummer Rodney Childers won’t be back in the No.7 pit box but Spire ain’t backing down nonetheless with all three cars in & out of Top 16 to 20 drivers’ points.

There’s always time with the win and Playoffs still a possibility as long as it’s before September where Spire has the full backing of three talented and experienced drivers in McDowell, Haley and Hocevar.

Parker back to Tottenham?

While Burnley now back to the PL, Scott Parker might not be there because of Tottenham who could get rid of Aussie Ange even if he wins the Europa final.

Maybe it’s best if Scott helps Burnley win it all and see Leeds bottle it at the same time, then he can go considering he hasn’t been successful so far at this top level.

There’s even talk about Leeds wanting to sack Farke in order to avoid his curse record at PL level – looks like it will be advantage Parker for the title then.

Super Rugby: another golden week from the Aussie sides v NZ?

Super Rugby back for another week going the Australian teams away we hope after a few brilliant games including one that ended in a draw, although not so much for the Waratahs unfortunately v Fijian Drua away in Suva.

Yet, things could get even better if Reds, Brumbies and Force all beat their respective NZ teams in Blues, Hurricanes and Chiefs this weekend.

Perfect timing (mark that down) and as of Week 11 out of 16, still no NZ side win recorded yet at least on Australian soil.

Max Verstappen wants out of Red Bull?

Also, Max frustrated behind the scenes being the cut lone figure at Red Bull when McLaren in a Mercedes customer engine are leading the way via Oscar and Lando.

Would love to see him end up at Aston Martin with Honda engines + Adrian Newey again & Franco C. be the ideal one when RB have no other choice post-Max.

NRL finally has a Perth team with assistance of the North Sydney Bears

And last but not least, Perth will finally get a NRL team in a long time with credit to the North Sydney Bears.

That means, the Bears will be expected to play top-level Rugby League once again but looks like half of the games will be played at in Perth with other still going to be at the spiritual North Sydney Oval.

National footprint is important for all of our Aussie sports including rugby despite losing a team in Melbourne but gotta accept it’s the best fight right now in the bid for championships and series trophies.

The big weekend other than the off-weekend of F1 starts tomorrow on ANZAC day Friday before the second last round’s matches is on a bright Saturday night at 9pm and we round it off with the shuffling decks of Talladega come Monday AM.

April 24, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Thoughts on Rugby Australia’s TV rights contract extension that is now finalised with Nine and Stan between 2026-2030

by Sports Benches April 9, 2025

The decision has already been made yesterday as Nine and Stan now confirmed to stay on with Rugby Australia for another five years when it comes to the next TV rights contact that is set to start from next season (2026) to at least the end of 2030.

Here’s what we know so far:

All Super Rugby games will be aired on Stan Sport.
All Wallabies and Wallaroos games including the Bledisloe Cup, Rugby Championship (Stan only everywhere else that isn’t Wallabies) and the proposed Nations Cup/Spring Tour to be on both Nine and Stan.
All Club Rugby games both NSW Shute Shield and QLD Hospital Cup will also stay on Stan for at least the next two seasons with one main weekly Saturday afternoon game back on free-to-air also on Nine through 9Gem including Finals.
All other content they’ve got will also stay on only through Stan from Super W to U-16 and U-19 National Championships as well as Six Nations, Currie Cup, NZ’s National Provincial Championship and many more including the full All Blacks v Springboks 2026 (to SA) & 2030 (back in NZ) tours.
The final cost would be around $215 million ($43 million per season) with up to $30 million add-ons depending on the Wallabies and Australian Super Rugby teams’ successes over time.

So what’s missing? No Saturday night free-to-air weekly Super Rugby games.

That contract obligation they’ve got at the moment has now been removed starting next season onwards to aid with RA’s retention of keeping their top players away from lucrative overseas playing and money opportunities as Nine chose to give them more cash instead by swapping Super Rugby with all Wallabies and Club Rugby games returning on free-to-air TV.

Nothing much to do with increased ratings or exposure really, although there’s still a possibility that Nine could still air some Super Rugby games after all albeit at different times during the season.

It could only be key matches or even a mix of both Friday nights plus some Sunday afternoon regular-season games on what they call it flexible scheduling including one weekly finals on Saturdays, I don’t know.

But I hope RA and Nine with their paid streaming subsidiary Stan will find a way soon enough to keep Super Rugby on free-to-air at least in some way, so we don’t have to feel disappointed & not like it was in the past when there were no live Super Rugby games at all other than replays & highlights until 2021 all thanks to Nine.

Regardless of that, sure we are moving onto the right direction for the betterment of Rugby Australia, when Super Rugby is going well at the moment at the expense of our four Aussie teams along with the front row potential of winning it all in the green & gold Wallabies when we take on the British and Irish Lions as well as another Trans-Tasman contest later this year.

April 9, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Season Week 8 of 16: Western Force out to make another statement in intent for their Finals hunt after win over Highlanders

by Sports Benches April 5, 2025

It’s been a game of two halves once again tonight by the Western Force at home at HBF Park and the visiting Highlanders from Otago where Highlanders know how to get the ball rolling but one too many mistakes here and there saw the Force reaped the rewards and they’ve made a huge statement with the 29-20 win in the end.

Looking at elsewhere, okay, the results may not have gone our way with the Reds and Waratahs both lost out to Chiefs and Moana Pasifika respectively over in NZ.

But still, we have four Aussie Super Rugby teams inside the Top 6 which is great for us rugby fans and also for the competition itself. Although there’s still a long way to go where things can change everything with another eight to go before the regular season becomes Finals Footy, especially with the Crusaders (2nd) are currently back to their former glory who were also too good for Fijian Drua (11th) earlier today while Blues hold out Hurricanes by 19-18.

Message sent to the British & Irish Lions

For now, happy to see some much needed quality being injected across our four Australian Super Rugby teams, as hopefully this can help us field at least two teams play in the semis & one fighting for the championship with the Grand Final.

So yes, Jordan King, watch out for our Wallabies by the time they take on the British & Irish Lions this July-August.

He’s the one I’ve spoken to recently about Formula 1 particularly with Jack Doohan and is currently part of his Alpine F1 squad as a development driver, even though he was Franco Colapinto’s driving coach a few years ago & Franco is also the reserve driver there. But all we want from Jack now is to be at his best when it comes to his race form tomorrow and as Jordan said, wait and see with surprises for sure.

No matter what people say, he can bounce back from out of nothing by turning into something as seen with a largely repaired A525 today.

Top 3 players pick

No Dylan Pietsch? No problem. There’s a Sydneysider via the students (Sydney Uni) in George Poolman tearing up the Highlanders like a wrecking ball all afternoon and early evening based on his tremendous finishing abilities with pace and his talents are there to see thanks to some brilliant team-work in the last third.

Same goes to Force’s main 15 Mac Grealy who knows his street smarts as if he’s the fastest man out there through peak traffic every time they were able to find those sweet spots right in front of their doorstep.

Hats off to Simon Cron whose running rugby is a Western Force they can be reckoned with as they are flying high right now in 4th out of 11th at the halfway mark.

And credit to Timoci Tavatavanawai btw with his mix and match top speed & defensive performances on the Highlanders inside 12 off the back of a brilliant start but it’s a shame they were being erratic in all areas for the most part – you cannot win games like that, period.

April 5, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Week 7 of 16: Queensland Reds v Western Force: Reds come out strong as the survivors over Force once again through the wet Suncorp Stadium pitch

by Sports Benches March 29, 2025

It was a game of competitive two-halves rugby that was held under wet weather between the Queensland Reds and Western Force tonight at Suncorp Stadium as we are nearly halfway (Week 7 of 16). Reds got themselves going before some ill-discipline and poor line-outs have marked a huge setback while Force played the Reds with Fire of the gold & black jersey so they can make every chance count that can keep their Top 6 Finals hopes alive.

There can be only be one winner having levelled 21-21 at half-time and in the end, it’s the mighty Queensland Reds who took home yet another win like it was a few weeks ago in their last own match on the Force’s own ground at HBF Park, 28-24.

From elsewhere

Here’s what you need to know prior to this game tonight:

Gotta feel for the Waratahs especially Max Jorgensen who picked up an unfortunate injury during their big loss to the Hurricanes early last night to begin Week 7’s matches at Wellington’s Sky Stadium by 57-12.
ACT Brumbies broke the Highlanders’ hearts that late to sign off their strong home ground front at GIO Stadium also last night in Canberra, 34-27.
Crusaders got battered & bruised this weekend in Christchurch thanks to Moana Pasifika who are back in business with a long way to go (from last spot to now 9th), 29-45.
And there’s only four games out of five since the Chiefs and Blues (both last year’s grand finalists) are having the week-long off the field.

Top 3 players

Filipo Daugunu belongs to the heart of Ballymore having made up some magic attacking metres while he was superb at locking up in defense – no wonder his goalkeeping & striking background from soccer helped him struck a good balance right at the middle of the Reds’ outside 13.

So does fellow Red Tate McDermott as the reverse 9 where his supercharged influences created shockwaves at the Force’s own doormat, especially in the last 10 mins thanks to his late TRY & that enough to get over the line in the end.

All in all, yes, there were some mistakes like poor line-outs and ill-discipline but hey, Queenslanders never back down!

And you can’t go past the Western Force’s own running rugby with Darcy Swain’s top-class input all on the second row 5 from line-out intercepts to building pressure both attack and defence which proved to be a huge difference so far.

Yes, unlucky there from Force who had the better ball than the Reds – they just struggled have the last say in the end.

March 29, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Season Week 4 of 16: Waratahs v Western Force – Tahs just too good off the back of some sensational outside backs display by Max Jorgensen and Darby Lancaster on the wings at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium

by Sports Benches March 8, 2025

One month into the new season along with the first of two byes, the NSW Waratahs are currently flying high under new coach Dan McKellar, especially when all three games were played so far at their home fortress of Allianz Stadium in Moore Park.

They were absolutely too good even though the first half was quiet at times where both Tahs and Western Force were having a huge arm wrestle when it comes to a tough physical challenge of rugby.

But again, Tahs reaped the rewards with so many tries across the board off the back of their expansive tactics and while Force weren’t bad on paper whenever they had the ball, they just didn’t have enough execution to pull off for the most part plus their discipline hasn’t helped them much either. All in all, Tahs led 15-5 at half-time before they were too good along with the extra bonus point by 34-10.

Happening Elsewhere

Elsewhere, we saw some unforgettable matches during Week 4 of 16 like the ACT Brumbies win last night on the Blues home turf at Eden Park along with back-to-back Saturday match results being led by the competition’s leading Pasifika teams from Fijian Drua’s continued dominance at their home front v Chiefs to Moana Pasiifka at last went with the distance v Hurricanes.

There’s still one more game to finish off tomorrow arvo as part of some Sunday Super Rugby feast and the Queensland Reds are currently in Christchurch ahead of their reunion with former playmaker James O’Connor who will be in the other side of the pitch for the Crusaders.

Top 3 players

You just couldn’t believe what the Waratahs outside backs got on offer with the likes of Max Jorgensen (No.14 right) and Darby Lancaster (No.11 left) were absolutely electric both with pace to rip defenses out in attack as well as the brawns to push & hold ground in defense.

Yes, Tahs thought injuries may have held back at one point earlier where there were some mistakes at times. But better still, Waratahs do have the depth to build pressure and cash in those chances towards the home front thanks to their better experienced group – and they managed to keep on winning once again tonight especially at their own Allianz Stadium.

Who knows what will happen between now and Week 16?

They will be after the Queensland Reds up next Saturday night away from home not just to win back bragging rights but also keep in check with the ladder and they’re currently sitting on top of 2nd.

Meanwhile, former Tah and WA born-and-bred Carlo Tizzano has been a wrecking ball at the Tahs defense on the openside Force 7 including a TRY for himself from the opening half. No wonder he’s sending a good message there to the Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt ahead of the home Lions tour in July-August, he just needs more support to help capitalise on those executions but Force hasn’t unfortunately where balls were lost/stolen for the most part on top of lost penalties along the way.

March 8, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby Week 3 of 16 in 2025: Queensland Reds hold back Western Force at the last minute by 24-28

by Sports Benches March 1, 2025

After back-to-back early wins on what has been a flying start to the new season from the Western Force, Queensland Reds has just hit back at the last minute that broke their hearts on home turf by a mere four point win (24-28) at Perth’s HBF Park.

Yes, there were lots of rampaging and expansive rugby from the home side that puts them on the board right from the word go. Although the Reds even though they’ve lost the plot a couple of times alongside their inability to build pressure and eventually knock down the Force’s scrambled defense, they know how to rebound thanks to their counter-attack under coach Les Kiss whenever they’re right on the money via break or penalties.

Hard to tell when both sides were battling so hard right through full-time that makes this contest so great but there can only be one winner and it turns out to be the Reds as said with their scrambled stronghold defense and counter-attacking display every time things do come their way.

Top 3 Players

Seru Uru is like Ballymore’s Great Wall of back rowers that broke the Western Force’s hearts on the blindside 6 Reds jersey thanks to his solid defence that mixes and matches along with his attacking muscle. It goes to show Les Kiss trusts him well all game long and so does Joe Schmidt who gave him a chance 1-2 times at the back end of last year with the green and gold at International level.

Josh Flook, meanwhile, has benefitted Les Kiss’s style of play on the counter-attack on the outside 13 with back-to-back tries while he can keep a great eye when being tested defensively of the Force’s running and expansive way of playing rugby. Hope he’s okay as not the same without him when the Reds blew their chances at times but at least his good work gave them a fighting chance though with the ugly win – special mention to the Filipo Daugunu also who scored the winner on the wide 11 left.

And former Red Mac Grealy does mean business at the top level on what’s lost every time QLD lost the ball and he’s there and everywhere to pick it up like his ability to kick out from the back at 15 as well pushing the Force’s passage of play further afield. The team’s good start after two wins as of Week 3 has just came to an unlucky end when they lacked discipline while being a touch isolated but interesting to see if they can carry on with their running rugby v the Waratahs next Saturday & the NZ teams after that.

March 1, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Rugby Today’s Result: Western Force forced another close emphatic win this time against regular semi-finalists ACT Brumbies by 42-45 after Week 2 of the new 2025 Season

by Sports Benches February 22, 2025

Week 2 of 16 in the 2025 Super Rugby Season capped off with another Western Force win this time away from home against the regular semi finalists ACT Brumbies team in Canberra’s GIO Stadium. Force fired off with a string of early tries despite their rash decisions going into half-time by 14-28 while Brumbies found themselves back on track at last to play catch-up as it goes on.

Even though the Force were in trouble again discipline wise with 14 or even 13 men with 15 minutes to go, it’s not doom and gloom though where Force regained the lead whenever they had the ball – and that allowed them to finish off in style by a mere three point difference, it’s 42-45.

Elsewhere, the Crusaders were harshly beaten last night by the runner-up Chiefs and so does the current champs Blues at the hands of Highlanders in Dunedin earlier this evening. But the best part about this weekend is that Australian Rugby is still on a roll so far in 2025 thanks to an all-Aussie top-seed Brumbies upset by the Force followed by a statement Queensland Reds win v Moana Pasifika also from last night in Brisbane.

Top 3 players report card

As said, congrats to the Western Force with their close win once again – they’ve got a fantastic group of players along with Kiwi Head Coach Simon Cron who knows how to give back with their own swagger of Running Rugby.

Guys like Darcy Swain on the second row at 5 do mean business having taken a huge leap of faith from Canberra to Perth and yet he did not disappoint at all in the way he breaks down thanks to the Force’s unreal start to the game while they continued to add more points as it goes despite their ill-discipline & yellow cards.

The same goes to Dylan Pietch on the left wing despite picking up a yellow at one stage earlier on but his work rate though shouldn’t be underestimated thanks to his undeniable pace that got the best out of Dylan both in attack & defense and it’s clear he wants more of this often as long as the Magic comes to him – you never know & he will fill you in with surprises.

And Charlie Cale never backs down with his No.8 Brumbies shirt on his sleeve such as his two-TRY haul in between two halves who unpacks excellent physical grit through his head planted down low. It’s just a shame their poor starts and decision making forced the Force’s hand as one big mistake under pressure can turn out costly & that was the name of the game tonight.

February 22, 2025 0 comment