Force And Cheetahs Undefeated After Day One Of Beachcomber 10s
Defending champions the Western Force from Australia and South Africa’s Toyota Cheetahs were the two undefeated teams after day one of the Beachcomber World Club 10s in Mauritius on Saturday.
The Force topped Pool A after three wins while the Cheetahs took top place in Pool B, showing the ability to quickly adapt to the format at their first time of asking.
The Cheetahs scored 14 tries in their three matches, while only conceding three, to show what quick learners they are. The Force also based their game on miserly defence, only conceding four tries on the day and scoring 10.
The Force arrived in Mauritius with a youthful squad made up almost exclusively by club players, but they showed tremendous cohesion to open their account with a 19-12 win against a star-studded Africa Pacific Dragons (APD) team.
The Dragons, coached by Springbok legend Victor Matfield and including the likes of Bok internationals ‘such as Bok wing Cornal Hendricks, were competitive throughout and improved as the day went on.
APD narrowly lost game two 14-10 to English club side Harlequins and finished the day off with a 22-5 victory over Japan’s Kubota Spears.
The Cheetahs were ruthless from the outset opening their account with an emphatic 32-5 win over the Plus500 Brumbies, last year’s runners-up.
The team from Bloemfontein then saw off the French composite team the Tsunami Pyrenees 21-0 in game two before a big showdown with local rivals the Vodacom Bulls in the day’s last match.
The Cheetahs won a high quality encounter 29-14 against a Bulls team that scored two big early wins over the Pyrenees (22-0) and the Brumbies (52-12).
The Force, after their win over APD, added the scalps of Japan’s Kubota Spears (17-5) in game two and Harlequins (24-7) in their third, and final match of the day.
Force coach Kevin Foote said that his team would focus on breakdowns in this 10-man format, rather than on the set pieces, and it was a tactic that paid off for his charges as they smothered opponents in open play.
The tournament now moves to a knockout stage with all eight teams into the quarterfinals and seeded from one to eight.
The Force will meet local rivals the Brumbies in Sunday’s quarterfinal, in a repeat of last year’s final while the Cheetahs take on the Kubota Spears in the last eight.
The Bulls play against Harlequins and the APD’s are up against the Tsunami Pyrenees
Results:
- Road Safety Western Force 19 APD 12
- Kubota Spears 12 Harlequins 5
- Toyota Cheetahs 32 Plus500 Brumbies 5
- Vodacom Bulls 22 Tsunami Pyrenees 0
- Harlequins 14 APD 10
- Road Safety Western Force 17 Kubota Spears 5
- Vodacom Bulls 52 Plus500 Brumbies 12
- Toyota Cheetahs 21 Tsunami Pyrenees 0
- APD 22 Kubota Spears 5
- Road Safety Western Force 24 Harlequins 7
- Tsunami Pyrenees 21 Plus500 Brumbies 17
- Toyota Cheetahs 29 Vodacom Bulls 14
| Pool A | Tries For | Tries Against | Points Difference | Points |
| Road Safety Western Force | 10 | 4 | 36 | 6 |
| APD’s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Harlequins | 4 | 8 | -20 | 2 |
| Kubota Spears | 4 | 8 | -22 | 2 |
| Pool B | Tries For | Tries Against | Points Difference | Points |
| Toyota Cheetahs | 14 | 3 | 63 | 6 |
| Vodacom Bulls | 12 | 6 | 47 | 4 |
| Tsunami Pyrenees | 3 | 10 | -39 | 2 |
| Plus500 Brumbies | 6 | 10 | -71 | 0 |
The quarterfinal line-up for Sunday is:
Western Force vs. Brumbies
APD vs. Tsunami Pyrenees
Cheetahs vs. Kubota Spears
Bulls vs. Harlequins
The Beachcomber World Club 10s is fully sanctioned by World Rugby, Rugby Afrique and Rugby Union Mauritius.
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