Force defence gets the accolades

A heroic second half defensive effort has allowed the Western Force to hold the Queensland Reds to an 11-all draw in Perth' on Saturday.

While the Western Australians skipped out to an 11-3 advantage early in the second half, it was the side's defence that rose to the challenge with the Force required to make double the tackles of their counterparts across the match.

Western Force coach Michael Foley said his side's work rate was crucial in denying the Reds the win.

"We were playing a side that scored three tries against the Brumbies – they're a very, very good attacking side and I thought the defence was the cornerstone of our performance," he said.

"Defence and the breakdown are the two things you measure character by and we were very strong in that area."

Foley said that the performance augured well for the development of his young side.

"I thought that [performance] was outstanding character," he said.

"A lot of teams – through the disappointment of last week and having to travel back – wouldn't have bounced back as well as we did.

"This team keeps working, keeps doing what it's doing and reinforcing those things around character and what it means to play with each other and they're in a good position pushing forward over the next couple of years."

The Western Force will travel to New Zealand on Monday before taking on the Chiefs in Pukekohe next Friday (10 May).