FORCE FIRE IN TOKYO
A first half hat trick from Marcel Brache has helped the Western Force claim an emphatic 40-22 win over a gallant Sunwolves outfit at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.
Brache became just the fourth Western Force player to bag a hat trick when he went over for his third in the 20th minute to have the visitors sitting pretty with a 21-point lead at the break and despite a strong fight back from the Sunwolves they couldn’t make back the initial onslaught.
Western Force Captain Matt Hodgson said it was great for the team to finally show the attacking rugby they have been threatening to play all season.
“I asked the team to be tough in those hard moments and rebound, and that’s what we did. We were dominant for most of that first half, and it was great that we could hold on for the win.”
“I was rapt with our attack and to come away with the win here is great, the Sunwolves played with a lot of skill and when they get their tails up they’re hard to defend. So, we’re just really happy with the win and build a bit of momentum.”
The home side shot out of the blocks going over to open the scoring in the fifth minute. Following a strong scrum Sunwolves fullback Riaan Viljoen broke the line before the Japanese side swung it wide to find Derek Carpenter who offloaded for Akihito Yamada to charge over unopposed. Tusi Pisi missed the conversion to leave the scores at 5-0.
The Sunwolves looked to attack off the restart but it came back to bite them as Marcel Brache intercepted a pass on the 22-metre line to cruise for his first Asteron Life Super Rugby try and level the scores. Ian Prior nailed the conversion to put the Force up 7-5.
Sensing the momentum the Force went back on the attack with Dane Haylett-Petty claiming a high ball and breaking the line from behind halfway before offloading to his brother, Ross. The Western Force then put the ball through the hands to find Brache who finished the job from ten metres out to claim his second try within 13-minutes. Prior made no mistake from the tee to extend the lead to 14-5.
Just six minutes later loosehead prop Francois van Wyk made a barnstorming run right through the heart of the Sunwolves defence charging 20-metres only to be dragged down short of the line. The Force recycled the ball quickly to send it wide as Brache went over for his third of the match to complete his hat trick. Prior’s attempt struck the upright to leave the scores at 19-5.
Continuing the onslaught Brynard Stander finished off a slick bit of play as the Force kept the ball alive deep in the Sunwolves 22 before swinging it out to the left for the blindside flanker to bully his way over in the corner. Prior nailed his third conversion to extend the lead to 21-points, 26-5.
The Sunwolves looked to respond late in the first half as Riaan Viljoen broke down the right wing but a massive try-saving tackle from Dane Haylett-Petty kept the home side at bay to maintain the Force’s 26-5 buffer at halftime.
Ten minutes into the second half the Force got reward yet again from some expansive running rugby with Kyle Godwin making a strong line break following a scrum, before McCalman muscled his way over the line for the team’s fifth try of the contest. Prior made slight work of the conversion to extend the lead to 33-5.
To the delight of the home fans the Sunwolves answered back just minutes later with flyhalf Tusi Pisi going over after some relentless pressure from the Japanese outfit. Pisi was unable to convert his own major to leave the score at 33-10.
The Sunwolves set up camp in the Western Force 22 applying massive pressure before finally getting reward for their effort with Derek Carpenter going over for the homeside’s third of the contest. Pisi couldn’t add the extras to keep the scores at 33-15.
With all the momentum going the Sunwolves way Angus Cottrell made something out of nothing picking off a pass to and charge in for massive 50-metre intercept try. Peter Grant struck true to add the extras and extend the lead to 25-points, 40-15.
Showing great spirit the Sunwolves fought right to the death with Akihito Yamada going over for his second with just two minutes left on the clock.
At the final whistle the Western Force ran out deserving victors scoring six tries to four for a convincing 40-22 victory in Tokyo.
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