A gutsy second half fight back from the Emirates Western Force fell just short as the Perth side was left to rue an opportunity lost against the Rebels who snatched a 30-29 win in Melbourne on Friday night.

 

Despite outscoring the Victorian’s four tries to three the Emirates Western Force were left to lament a slow start that let the home side race to a 21-0 lead before poor discipline gave the Rebels shots on goal that earned them the victory late in the game.

 

The much hyped first meeting between the Emirates Western Force and former back James O’Connor didn’t eventuate, despite him being named in the team on Thursday, the youngster instead sat on the sidelines after injuring a hamstring earlier in the week.

 

Further losses were felt by both sides in the opening half with Emirates Western Force lock Sam Wykes coming from the ground after 25 minutes with a foot problem while Rebels playmaker Danny Cipriani also was subbed around that time.

 

Cipriani though had already inflicted some damage on the West Aussies with the Rebels third try in an opening blitz that along with Lachlan Mitchell and Lloyd Johansson’s tries had the visitors stunned.

 

Emirates Western Force captain David Pocock was the first to answer the call, the star flanker scored when he reacted best to a bobbling ball on the ground and barrelled his way over from short range before Winston Stanley added another five minutes later to further reduce the margin.  The try was Stanley’s first in FxPro Super Rugby.

 

With the Rebels lead trimmed to 12 at the break the Emirates Western Force had weathered the storm and regrouped to play a much improved second period.

 

Flying winger Alfie Mafi gave the WA side the perfect opening when he danced through the Rebels line to dot down under the posts.  David Harvey’s conversion and successful penalty a short time later saw the Emirates Western Force score back to back points for the first time and brought them within two of a fading Rebels outfit.

 

Julian Huxley gave the home side some breathing space with a successful penalty kick after which the match turned into an arm wrestle as both teams sought the critical breakthrough.

 

The Emirates Western Force thought they might have had it when Nick Cummins was put through by substitute halfback Justin Turner in the 63rd minute and they hit the lead for the first time to mark a dramatic turnaround from the earlier malaise they had found themselves in.

 

With Pocock, who was superb throughout, asserting himself even further at the breakdown the Emirates Western Force appeared ready to repel any Rebels reprise however Mark Gerrard was given a chance to get the Melbourne side back into the lead and he nailed a long range penalty with seven minutes left.

 

Despite the best efforts of the visitors they were unable to get deep into their attacking half as the clock quickly became their enemy.  One last push following the hooter came to nothing when the referee awarded a touchy penalty and the Rebels were able to boot the ball into touch.

 

While Emirates Western Force Coach Richard Graham was pleased with the way his players responded to outscore the Rebels 17-6 following the restart, he was disappointed with the predicament they had got themselves into in the first quarter of the match and some poor discipline that enable Melbourne shots on goal.

 

“At 21-nil there is one of two ways the game could have gone.  You either pack up and go home and get pumped or you show some character and resolve and do what we did,” Graham said.

 

“There is resolve in the group because you don’t go from 21 points down to then be leading without having that in the squad, but when you get into situations like we did towards the end of the game you have to manage them better.

 

“I thought we lacked intensity in terms of our defence at the start of the game and that was evident wasn’t it.

 

“The game is really simple at the moment, you need to play field position and it is best to get there as quickly as you can and be disciplined,” Graham added.

 

While there was obvious disappointment in the camp there were at least some positives to take forward, firstly a four try bonus point for the first time since round nine 2010, and secondly a wonderful performance by the forwards which was singled out by Graham after the game.

 

“I thought our forward pack tonight was outstanding.  I thought our lineout was excellent, our scrum was dominant and they were certainly contributing factors in getting us back into the game,” Graham said.

 

After a fortnight on the road and an opening to the 2012 season that has seen them spend four of the first five rounds interstate, the Emirates Western Force return to Perth where they’ll meet the Reds at nib Stadium on Saturday 31 March.

 

Friday, 23 March 2012 at AAMI Park

 

Melbourne Rebels 30 (Tries: L Mitchell, L. Johansson, D Cipriani; Con: D Cipriani 3/3; Pen: J Huxley 2/4, M Gerrard 1/1; DG: J Huxley 0/1)

Emirates Western Force 29 (Tries: N Cummins, W. Stanley, A. Mafi, D Pocock; Con: D. Harvey 3/4; Pen: D. Harvey 1/2; DG: J. Stannard 0/1)

 

Melbourne Rebels: 1.Nic Henderson, 2.Adam Freier, 3.Laurie Weeks, 4.Luke Jones, 5.Hugh Pyle, 6.Jarrod Saffy, 7.Tom Chamberlain, 8.Gareth Delve (Captain), 9.Nick Phipps, 10.Danny Cipriani, 11.Cooper Vuna, 12. Lloyd Johansson, 13.Lachlan Mitchell, 14.Mark Gerrard, 15.Julian Huxley.  Reserves: 16.Ged Robinson, 17.Rodney Blake, 18.Alister Campbell, 19.Tim Davidson, 20.Michael Lipman, 21.Nic Strizaker, 22.James Hilgendorf

 

Emirates Western Force: 1.Kieran Longbottom, 2.Nathan Charles, 3.Salesi Ma’afu, 4.Sam Wykes, 5.Nathan Sharpe, 6.Angus Cottrell, 7.David Pocock (Captain), 8.Matt Hodgson, 9.Brett Sheehan, 10.James Stannard, 11.Alfie Mafi, 12.Winston Stanley, 13.Will Tupou, 14.Nick Cummins, 15.David Harvey. Reserves 16.Ben Whittaker, 17.Pek Cowan, 18.Toby Lynn, 19.Richard Brown, 20.Justin Turner, 21. Rory Sidey, 22.Samu Wara

 

Yellow Cards: nil

Red Cards: nil

Referee: Marius Jonker

Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner, Rohan Hoffman

Crowd: 10,982

 

8 Lachlan Mitchell Try         5 - 0

8 Danny Cipriani Conversion 7 - 0

15 Lloyd Johansson Try        12 - 0

16 Danny Cipriani Conversion      14 - 0

19 David Harvey Missed PG        14 - 0

22 Danny Cipriani Try        19 - 0

23 Danny Cipriani Conversion      21 - 0

27 David Pocock Try                21 - 5

28 David Harvey Conversion        21 - 7

30 Julian Huxley Penalty Goal       24 - 7

31 James Stannard Missed DG   24 - 7

32 Winston Stanley Try        24 - 12

34 David Harvey Missed Con        24 - 12

39 Julian Huxley Missed PG        24 - 12

44 Alfie Mafi Try                        24 - 17

45 David Harvey Conversion        24 - 19

49 David Harvey Penalty Goal        24 - 22

55 Julian Huxley Penalty Goal       27 - 22

59 Julian Huxley Missed PG        27 - 22

63 Nick Cummins Try        27 - 27

64 David Harvey Conversion        27 - 29

73 Mark Gerrard Penalty Goal        30 - 29

76 Julian Huxley Missed DG        30 - 29

 

 

Emirates Western Force Coach Richard Graham has made only minor adjustments to his 22 man squad for the club’s clash against the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night with dynamic winger Nick Cummins returning to the starting XV and experienced lock Toby Lynn to the reserves.

 

After a strong statement in their one point win against the Waratahs last weekend Graham has stuck with the majority of his run-on side.  Cummins and prop Kieran Longbottom are the only changes.

 

Longbottom, along with Pek Cowan, Nathan Charles and Salesi Ma’afu have formed a formidable front row combination in 2012 with each player making significant contributions in the opening month of the competition.

 

“I think the performance of our front row has been wonderful and they’ve given the side real impetus at the set piece as well as around the ground,” Graham said.

 

“We’ve been able to rotate our front row forwards in terms of starting on the ground or on the bench which has assisted in the management of those guys.

 

“Pek Cowan is arguably the form loosehead prop in Australian rugby at the moment however given the short turnaround and his substantial workload so far this year I’ve made a rotation and looked to maximise the use of the resources available to us,” Graham said.

 

The efforts of his entire squad last week pleased Graham who pointed to the influence of the bench as one of the catalysts for the club’s first win.  He’ll again rely on their input as they aim for back to back victories on the road.

 

“I thought our bench had a significant impact in winning the game last weekend, everyone who came on really contributed to the effort,” Graham said.

 

“I have no doubt they will play a big role in the outcome of the game on Friday and I have tremendous confidence in our depth and the ability of everyone to have an impact when called upon.”

 

After making an impressive debut last weekend recent signing David Harvey has again been selected at fullback although his versatility is expected to see him called upon to exert more influence in the midfield.

 

“I thought Dave’s first performance in Super Rugby was solid and as we learn more about him we’ll use him a lot more in the front line as opposed to playing 15,” Graham said.

 

With four of the club’s first five matches away from home the team has already spent 33 hours in the air and they haven’t yet left Australia.  That prompted Graham to prepare his side on the east coast this week to aid in recovery and ensure they’re fresh for Friday’s encounter.

 

“What was important was to minimise the amount of travel and maximise the amount of time in recovery and preparation for this fixture on Friday night,” said Graham.

 

“The Rebels are a good side who have been fighting to get results and haven’t been far away from closing out games.  Clearly at home they’ll be looking to start strongly to assist in getting a result.”

 

Going out of the 22 are youngsters Ben Seymour and Phoenix Battye but they’ll get game time on AAMI Park as the Emirates Western Force A tackle Rebel Rising in a curtain raiser match.

 

 

Friday, 23 March 2012 at AAMI Park

Kick-off: 4.40pm (AWST) / 7.40pm (AEDT)

 

1. Kieran Longbottom

2. Nathan Charles

3. Salesi Ma’afu

4. Sam Wykes

5. Nathan Sharpe

6. Angus Cottrell

7. David Pocock (Captain)

8. Matt Hodgson

9. Brett Sheehan

10. James Stannard

11. Alfie Mafi

12. Rory Sidey

13. Will Tupou

14. Nick Cummins

15. David Harvey

Reserves

16. Ben Whittaker

17. Pek Cowan

18. Toby Lynn

19. Richard Brown

20. Justin Turner

21. Winston Stanley

22. Samu Wara